


The Lab Assistant: World Famous

by Kihonne



Series: Heroes in the Making: An Elite Force [5]
Category: Lab Rats (TV 2012)
Genre: Bionic Superhumans, F/M, Family, Friendship, Post-Episode You Posted What?!, Season/Series 03, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-06
Updated: 2015-02-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 21:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 91,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18374213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kihonne/pseuds/Kihonne
Summary: Now that the world knows that Adam, Bree, and Chase are bionic, everything has changed for the Davenport siblings and their friends and family. Being world famous heroes isn't all you'd think it is, and the fame is starting to wear some of their nerves thin. Can they stay strong through all of it? And how will Krane get his revenge? Based off of the original episodes of Lab Rats: Season Three, but will include other stuff as well.





	1. Armed and Dangerous

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own lab rats, or anything from the original TV show. I only own this story, Calla, Jaden, any other OCs present, and anything else you don't recognize.

** Leo's POV **

"Hey Dooley, hey formally evil Davenport." Calla greeted as she walked into our house. Neither Douglas nor I looked up from what we were doing. Douglas was going through the fridge, looking for sandwich condiments, while I was busy looking for my cell phone.

"Hey Calla, have you seen my phone?" I asked, glancing at her as I put the couch cushions back where they belonged. She shrugged and sat down on the couch.

"Nope." She replied, dumping her backpack on the ground.

I glanced at the couch, getting an idea. Maybe my phone was under there. I walked over, grabbed the bottom of the couch with my bionic hand, and lifted it above my head, with Calla still sitting on it. "Leo! Douglas, he's doing it again!" Calla complained, glaring down at me while clutching the arm rest. "Put me down Leo! Right now!"

"What are you doing?" Douglas demanded, looking at me.

"Looking for my phone." I replied, before grinning. "Perhaps, you haven't heard; I'm bionic now."

"Put that down! And be-" I dropped the couch back on the ground, where it landed with a loud bang. Calla nearly fell off at the impact, and glared angrily at me for it. "-gentle."

I shrugged, looking at Douglas. Why was he always on my back for using my bionics? It's not like I used them at school – I was waiting for Janelle to get back from the New York trip to do that. "Look, I know that bionic arm is fun, but you can't just use it whenever you want." Douglas scolded. I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh, but it's okay when you need a pickle jar opened?" I questioned.

"That was an emergency." He defended himself. "You can't have a tuna sandwich without a nice kosher dill."

"Back on subject, Douglas." Calla called from her spot on the couch.

"Right." He looked back at me as he placed his breakfast on the dinner table. "Having that arm is a huge responsibility, which I thought you could handle. We finally have the government on our side. Do you know what would happen if they found out there was a fourth bionic kid?"

I shrugged again. "It'd be an even number. I imagine they'd be happy."

"Or they would take you away and lock Douglas up." Calla pointed out, grabbing her phone out of her backpack. Douglas looked terrified at the idea.

"I can't go back to prison!" He exclaimed. Calla and I both looked at him. "There was a farewell party! I did a speech! It'd just be awkward."

I sighed. "Alright, I get it. I will only use my arm when it's absolutely necessary." I promised him. He nodded.

"Good." He replied, going back to his meal. Suddenly, a fly started buzzing around me. I started swatting at it, only for a laser sphere to come flying out of my hand and hit the footrest. The footrest exploded into several different parts, all three of us staring at it.

Douglas turned to me, demanding an explanation. "You know," I began, "technically, that was the fly's fault."

"What was…oh." Chase said, walking into the living room. He looked at me. "Your laser spheres glitch again?"

"…Possibly." I admitted. Bree rolled her eyes, pushing past Chase. Adam followed behind her.

"Nice job, Leo." She teased. "Now can we PLEASE get going? I never thought I'd actually miss going to school!"

"Yeah, first day back since the video went out." I grinned, remembering when Agent Graham made the announcement. The only reason he'd made them wait so long was because he wanted to get his promotion stuff in order and because he wanted some media coverage. He, along with the press, were going to meet us at Mission Creek High.

"Well, are you guys coming or not?" Calla questioned, getting up. I nodded.

"As soon as I find my phone." I assured her. She sighed dramatically.

"For God's sake!" She muttered, pressing a few buttons on her phone. A second later, my ringtone started coming out of my backpack. She raised an eyebrow at me. "I found your phone."

I glared at her half-heartedly, slightly annoyed that I hadn't thought about calling myself, then grabbed my backpack and led the others outside down the familiar path to the school.

** Calla's POV **

"Alright, the non-bionics go in first." Agent Graham ordered, stopping us as we started to walk inside the school. Bree looked at him, confused.

"Why?" She questioned.

"The cameras aren't here to see them; they're here to see you." He pointed out. Chase looked like he was about to argue, but I stopped him.

"It's no big deal." I assured him, slipping my hand out of his. I started walking away, calling over my shoulder, "Come on, Dooley!"

I stepped into the school, mixing into the crowd of people with relative ease. They were all here to get a glimpse of Adam, Bree, and Chase; they weren't looking for a random girl like me. I quickly scanned the lobby, looking for a familiar face. I grinned when I saw Caleb sitting on the top of the bench. I skipped over to him happily.

"Adam, Bree, and Chase are back! Isn't it awesome?" I grinned at him. He nodded.

"Yeah, maybe now we'll be able to get rid of you." He teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Never gonna happen, Jones." I replied. A chuckle came from my left, causing me to turn and look for the source. It was a short sixteen year old boy with soft brown hair and intelligent hazel eyes. I smirked when I saw him.

"Something funny, Kieran?" I asked the new kid. He nodded.

"Yes, your strange obsession with people's last names. I mean, Dooley, Jones." He shook his head. "We're not in the military, Calla."

I laughed. "Well if we were, I'd be commanding officer. Now, what's that book you're reading?" With a quick thought, I added, "Daniels."

Kieran smirked at the use of his last name, but showed me his book anyway. "Advanced Topics of Zoology." He replied. "I'm trying to get an internship at the city zoo."

"Sounds fun." I grinned. I looked up as the camera men walked into the school. "It's starting."

Agent Graham walked in first. "Students of Mission Creek High, please welcome your bionic super humans!"

The entire school burst into applause as Adam, Bree, and Chase walked in, proud grins on their faces. "And our trusty little mascot Chase!" Adam joked, patting his brother's arm. Chase sent him a look, but didn't have time to object as a crowd of students rushed forward for autographs.

"Should we wait until they're done signing autographs, or should we go say hello now?" Caleb asked me and Kieran. Kieran glanced at the crowd.

"There are quite a few girls from Chase's fanclub up there, Calla." He warned. And he was right. I jumped off the bench, leaving the boys to watch my stuff, and pushed through the crowd.

"You want an autograph too?" Chase teased as I walked up beside him. I smirked.

"You're enjoying this." I noticed. He nodded.

"Yeah, it's like we're celebrities." He grinned, signing some girl's notebook.

"We are." Agent Graham told him. "And this is just the beginning."

Bree looked at Chase. "I can't believe that people are so shallow that they only like us because we're bionic." Bree said. She grinned. "This is awesome!"

I laughed as Chase took my hand. "So, since we're now allowed in public again, do you want to do anything tonight?" He whispered in my ear. I smiled.

"I was hoping you'd ask that." I replied. "I've got us reservations at that new fancy Mexican restaurant down the street for eight o'clock."

"Well, I do love Mexican." Chase grinned. I smiled back at him.

"So, it's a date?" I asked. He chuckled before kissing me on the lips.

"You know it." He murmured. Before I could reply I found myself dragged away from Chase and pushed to the back of the crowd by some more autograph seekers.

"Seriously guys?" I muttered. Chase gave me an apologetic smile. I shrugged, letting him know that it didn't bother me too much.

"Wow, those girls really want a piece of him." Caleb commented as I walked back to him and Kieran. I shrugged.

"It's fine. I'll see him later." I replied. Suddenly, Kieran frowned.

"Hey, Adam's the tall one, right?" He asked. I nodded. "I don't think he knows how to do an autograph properly."

Confused, I followed his gaze until I saw a girl walking away from Adam, the name PAM written on her forehead.

"I'm guessing she asked Adam to autograph her forehead." Leo commented, walking over to us. I nodded.

"Yeah, I think so." I agreed. Suddenly, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I grinned. "Well, it looks like the kids who went on the New York trip just got back."

"They did?" Leo grinned, looking around for Janelle. I rolled my eyes, grabbed him by the shoulders, and turned him towards his girlfriend. I then pushed him towards her, shaking my head.

"I have a feeling that this is going to end badly." I muttered under my breath, turning back to the crowd. "Now, how to get rid of the fangirls…"

** Leo's POV **

"Hey Janelle." I greeted, walking over to her locker. "How was New York?"

"Hi Leo. It was – Oh, hey Adam!" She exclaimed, walking past me to go talk to him. I stared at her in confusion. Did I just get ignored for Adam?

"Can you help me with my science fair project?" Janelle asked. Adam shrugged.

"Probably not, but I'll give it a shot." He replied with a grin.

"My project is about you." She explained. I stared at her.

"Him?" I demanded. She nodded. "Why him?"

"Because his bionics are the most impressive." Janelle replied, giving me the Leo-you're-an-idiot look. She then turned back to Adam. "Can you tell me how they work?"

"Uh…yeah. I have a bionic chip in the back of my neck that lets me do stuff…bionicly." He replied. Janelle stared at him, expecting more.

"I was kinda hoping for a more detailed explanation." She told him. He nodded.

"I was too." He agreed. Suddenly, the bell rang. "You know, I'm more of a visual explainer, so maybe we can meet up after school and I can use my eyes to blow stuff up."

"Awesome!" Janelle grinned, just as I was silently hoping that she'd say no. Adam grinned, then looked at the crowd.

"Hey Jessica! Wait up! I want to talk to you!" He called, running after said blonde.

Meanwhile, I was looking at Janelle, trying to make a decision. I wanted to tell her about my bionics, but if I got caught, Calla and Douglas were going to kill me. Finally, just as the crowd dispersed, I made up my mind.

"Janelle, I'm going to show you something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone." I warned her before sticking out my arm for her to see. She looked at it, unimpressed.

"A calculator watch?" she questioned. I drew my arm back.

"No, not that." I replied. I took a deep breath before continuing. "I have bionics."

"You? Really?" Janelle giggled at the very thought of it. I looked at her, offended.

"Yes me!" I snapped. "I have a bionic arm. Behold!"

I swung my arm out, like I would if I was going to shoot a laser sphere. Except this time, nothing happened. Janelle stood there watching me, shaking her head at me. I looked at my arm in confusion. Maybe it was just the laser spheres. I mean, nothing else had glitched lately.

"It probably just needs to warm up." I assured her, swinging my arm to warm it up. Then I threw it out, intending to shoot a fire ball. Once again, nothing happened. Why was nothing happening?

"That's…adorable, Leo." Janelle told me. "I'd like to stick around, but I have to superspeed off to class. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh." She said mockingly, walking away. I watched her go, both confused by my lack of bionics and annoyed at her mockery.

** Calla's POV **

"Hey! Don't touch that!" I exclaimed, snatching my laptop away from one of Agent Graham's men. In the past couple of days, they'd practically invaded the lab and were trying to gain access to everything, much to my annoyance. Seriously, why couldn't they do their work elsewhere?

"Special Agent Graham ordered us to go through every piece of technology, little girl." The man told me, trying to take my laptop back. I glared at him. Another thing I didn't like was how every single on of them were treating me like a child! Leo too, but since I spent the majority of my time down in this lab, I got the worst of it. Seriously, if one more person called me 'little girl' again, I was going to lose it!

"Yeah, well Special Agent Graham can go-" I began, only to be interrupted by Mr. Davenport.

"Calla, stop complaining about Graham and HELP ME!" He ordered. I sighed, slid my laptop into my backpack, and ran to help my boss lift a massive metal barrel into the lab.

"They're going through my stuff!" I complained quietly. He nodded.

"Yes, I know. I'd take your work home with you from now on, if I were you." He suggested, trying to be helpful. I nodded and we placed the barrel in the middle of the room just as Adam, Bree, Chase and Graham walked into the lab. Bree, Chase, and Graham were laughing loudly, but Adam looked kinda down for some reason.

"What's so funny?" Mr. Davenport demanded. Chase grinned.

"Nothing." He lied. Bree chuckled.

"Agent Graham said the most impressive piece of technology in the whole lab is your hair." She explained. Everyone in the lab burst out laughing, except for Mr. Davenport and Adam. I looked at the older boy.

"Let me guess, girl troubles?" I assumed. He nodded glumly.

"Jessica broke up with me." He sighed sadly. I smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. He shrugged.

"Apparently, she's mad that I lied to her, since you and Jaden knew the secret the whole time. She said that she can't trust me anymore." He told me. I patted his arm.

"Hey, you know what they say; there are more fish in the sea." I told him optimistically. He shrugged sadly.

"Looks, Adam I'm sorry your girlfriend dumped you, but you're all fifteen minutes late for training." Mr. Davenport called. Graham looked at him.

"Actually, their training has been put on hold until further notice. Didn't you read the memo?" Graham asked. Mr. Davenport glanced at me and I shook my head. I hadn't gotten any memo and his inbox was empty.

Agent Graham chuckled. "Oh right. You two aren't on the memo list."

Well, that was rude of him. "They need their training to maintain their bionics." Mr. Davenport snapped, ignoring that insult. "Not to mention their missions-"

"Yes, but right now," Graham interrupted him, "the most important mission is getting our faces out there." He turned to Adam, Bree, and Chase. "That's why we're going on an international press tour."

Bree stared at him. "Wait, no training and we get to travel?" She demanded. "Can we go to Paris?"

Graham grinned. "Only after we go to London." He replied. Bree grinned happily. "Look, I know we kinda got off on the wrong foot with the whole me-arresting-you thing."

The others just waved him off. "Hey, just tell me we're going to Des Moines and all is forgiven." Adam told him. For some reason, Adam had always admired

"Then I guess we're going to Des Moines!" Graham grinned. Adam grinned.

"I love being owned by the government!" He exclaimed, his mind clearly distracted from Jessica.

"Whoa, whoa, guys!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, bursting their bubble. "This is completely irresponsible."

"Mr. Davenport, we've been training our whole lives!" Bree objected. "Don't we deserve just a little bit of fun?"

"I think you do." Graham told her. He glanced at Adam and Chase. "I also think you deserve a little thanks for all you've done for mankind. Don't you agree, Mr. Davenport?"

"Of course I do." Mr. Davenport snapped. It was clear that he was trying hard to figure a way to convince them how stupid this was without seeming like a terrible father. I sighed loudly.

"Chase, tell him how important training is." I ordered. Chase looked at Graham.

"Well, Calla and Mr. Davenport do have a point…" He began hesitantly.

"I can show you where they keep Einstein's brain." Graham offered. And just like that, Chase was sold.

"Training Shmaining." Chase finished, a grin on his face.

Graham chuckled. "Go pack your stuff. Wheels up to New York in fifteen minutes."

"Ah, New York." Adam sighed. "The Des Moines of the East."

"Oh, come on!" Bree exclaimed, dragging her brothers out of the room. Chase glanced back over his shoulder as he left.

"See you later, Calla!" He called. I tried to call him back.

"But Chase, what about our…" But he was already gone, "…date."

Mr. Davenport turned to Graham. "This is insane." He growled. "You're not qualified to lead them! You don't even understand how their bionic infrastructure works."

"And I really don't care." Graham replied honestly. He looked at Mr. Davenport. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my way?"

Mr. Davenport sighed. "Fine, I get it. You're in charge. But I'm not going to stop being involved in their lives."

Graham smirked and sat down at my desk, putting his feet up on top of it. "Don't worry, there's still plenty for you to do." Graham assured him. "We'll call you our Mission Specialist. Or perhaps you can be the assistant."

Mr. Davenport gasped dramatically, while I glared furiously at Graham. No way was I getting replaced by Mr. Davenport!

"Mission Specialist or the assistant?" Mr. Davenport repeated. "That's like being an intern! Leo's the mission specialist and Calla's the assistant!"

"Then you work for her." Graham informed him. I stared at him.

"What?" I questioned, eyes wide. Graham smirked.

"He's your new assistant." He told me before turning back to Mr. Davenport. "And for your first assignment, you have the honour of going on a smoothie run."

"Seriously? I'm a world renowned scientist and you're going to send me on a smoothie run?" Mr. Davenport demanded. Graham nodded.

"You're right; that was inappropriate." He admitted. He then gestured at me. "You'd better clear it with your supervisor, Calla."

Mr. Davenport gave him a look, then glanced at me for my opinion on the situation. Honestly, I was trying very, very hard not to laugh. As much as I hated Graham, he did know how to entertain people.

"Um…" I bit my lip, willing myself to keep a straight face. "I'd like a strawberry/banana smoothie please."

Mr. Davenport glared at me, and I smiled apologetically back. Then he walked away, muttering something about not hiring anymore teenagers in the future.

"Well, that was fun." I murmured to myself. I turned around to go back upstairs, but stopped short, glaring at one of Graham's men. "You put that laptop right back where you found it!"

** Leo's POV **

I ran into my house to find Douglas in the living room, attempting to duct tape the seat I destroyed back together.

"Douglas, something's wrong with my bionics!" I exclaimed. "They aren't working."

"I know, I turned them off." He replied, not looking up from his work.

"You what?!" I demanded. "Turn them back on or you will lead a sad, pickle-free existence!"

Douglas looked up at me and showed me a tiny remote in his hands. "When I implanted your bionics, I installed a remote deactivation feature, so I can make sure you don't get into any trouble."

"But I promised you I wouldn't use them!" I protested. "You didn't trust me."

Douglas gave me a look. "Did you use them?" he questioned, his tone implying that he already knew the answer.

"Don't you change the subject!" I snapped.

Douglas sighed. "Look, I didn't take them away. I just deactivated them. Think of it as bionic training wheels. I will take them off when you have proven that you can responsibly ride your bionic…arm-bike…"

"That was more painful than the accident that destroyed my arm." I told him.

Douglas rolled his eyes. "Bottom line: from now on, I control your bionics."

With that, he walked away to find more duct tape, leaving the remote on the table. Not too bright of him to do that…

"Bottom line: oh no you don't." I smirked to myself, pocketing the remote.

** Calla's POV **

_ RING! RING! RING! _

I groaned, opening my eyes. Dang it! I hated being woken up from good dreams! Especially when they involved me winning Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry. With an annoyed groan, I rolled over in bed and grabbed my phone.

"Who are you and what do you want?" I grumbled into it.

" _Calla, it's Davenport."_  Came the reply. I frowned, then glanced at my clock.

"Mr. Davenport," I began, resisting the urge to just hang up on him, "it's twelve thirty in the morning. I have school later. This had better be important."

" _I need you for a mission."_  He informed me. That caught my attention.

"Sorry, I must still be half-asleep. I thought you said you needed me for a mission." I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

" _I do."_  Mr. Davenport confirmed.  _"There was an accident over at one of the warehouses where I keep my super-computer technology. One of the super-computers is set to over-load and I need three sets of hands to deactivate it."_

"Oh, shit." I muttered. "Wait, what about Adam, Bree, and Chase? I know Adam's not that much help with computers, but Chase could tell him what to do."

" _They're still not back from Des Moines yet and nobody is answering their phone."_  He informed me.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed. "Those idiots!"

" _Oh trust me, I'm going to give them hell for it when they get home."_  He assured me.  _"But right now, I need you ready to go. I just got Leo up."_

I nodded, already heading for my closet. "Pick me up at my house in five. I'll be ready."

** Xxx **

"That sucked!" Leo complained as we all stumbled into the lab. I nodded tiredly, lowering myself into one of the lab's chairs. I never particularly enjoyed missions – I was always more comfortable behind a computer than on the front lines – but this one had gone especially bad. There'd been explosions, fire, and part of the warehouse's room collapsed. None of us were hurt (although there were a few close calls) but a couple of workers were sent to the hospital with broken bones.

"Leo, I'd go get changed if I were you – Tasha's going to freak if she sees you like that." I pointed out. All of our clothes were ripped and covered in ash and dust. Not to mention, the sick scent of smoke clung to them, making them downright revolting.

"Yeah, good idea." Leo agreed. He glanced at my own filthy clothes. "What about you? I doubt your mom's not going to happy to see you looking like that."

"I'll borrow some of Bree's stuff." I decided. She wouldn't mind; we borrowed each other's clothes all the time. Leo nodded and ran upstairs while I went to grab some clothes from Bree's capsule.

"You two should get mission suits. You're going to need them." Mr. Davenport mentioned as I searched through my best friend's clothing. I shook my head as I pulled out a white floral t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Leo maybe, but I don't see why I would need one. I don't plan on going any more missions any time soon." I told him. Mr. Davenport glanced at me.

"You don't want to go on missions?" He asked, surprised. I shook my head.

"Nope. Honestly, I'm starting to hate them." I replied. He frowned at me.

"You used to beg me to let you and Leo go one missions with Adam, Bree, and Chase. What happened?" He asked. I sighed.

"I grew up and realized that it wasn't all fun." I replied. "Back then, Douglas was the biggest thing we had to deal with and your brother isn't that dangerous. That was kid stuff. You know, those stupid little adventures where you always come out unscathed. But now, with the government involved and people like Krane and S-1 out there, things are much more dangerous and riskier. One of these days, we're not going to come out unscathed. One of these days, someone's going to end up seriously injured or worse."

"Adam, Bree, and Chase can handle themselves." Mr. Davenport pointed out. I nodded.

"I know. You trained them to handle this sort of thing. But Leo and I weren't trained. We were lucky in the past, especially when we went after Marcus, but that luck isn't going to last forever." I stated.

Mr. Davenport was quiet for a moment as he considered this. "I suppose you make a good point." He admitted. He chuckled. "And we used to joke about you having a death wish."

I laughed at that too. "Nope, quite the opposite actual." I replied. He looked at me.

"You put a lot of thought into this." He noted. I shrugged.

"Honestly, I've been thinking about it since S-1 tried to kill Leo and I." I admitted. I still couldn't forget the cold, heartless smirk on her face when she shot that plasma ball at me. "I can't believe that was only a couple of weeks ago."

"I know." Mr. Davenport agreed. He glanced at me and smiled. "Still, are you sure you don't want a mission suit? Because they look pretty cool."

"No thanks, but I'll start working on Leo's once I'm done my next project." I assured him. I stepped into the washroom, quickly changed, and met him back in the lab.

"So, what is your next project? Those are always interesting." Mr. Davenport mentioned. I shrugged.

"Something Douglas asked me to work on. It's a holographic target." I replied. Suddenly, I heard footsteps down the hall. "Oh, look who's back."

Mr. Davenport glanced at the hall, where the sounds of laughter and talking could easily be heard, then back at his bag. "Hey Calla, hey Mr. Davenport." Bree greeted as she, Adam, and Chase stepped into the lab.

Mr. Davenport and I both turned to face them, generally annoyed. Chase looked at the two of us. "What happened to you guys?" He asked, confused.

"Where have you been?" Mr. Davenport questioned. "We've been calling for hours."

Chase frowned. "I didn't even notice you guys called. We've been too busy flying around the world doing meet-and-greets."

"Yeah, we kissed a ton of babies." Adam smiled. "Their heads are delicious."

When neither of us smiled in the slightest, Chase pulled out his phone. "Here it is. Thirteen missed calls from Mr. Davenport, one from Leo, three from Calla, and a text message…" He trailed off, realization hitting him, "…with a mission alert."

Mr. Davenport and I nodded, both of us upset. They looked back at us, guilt all over their faces. "Well how can we help you…yesterday?" Chase asked with a nervous grin.

"I had to bring Calla and Leo." Mr. Davenport told them. Chase looked at me.

"You okay?" He asked, his tone soft. I crossed my arms.

"I'm fine." I growled. Adam frowned.

"You should have called us." He told me and Mr. Davenport. I glared at him.

"Adam, you're an idiot." I told him, before walking over to my desk. I opened my bag and pulled out a hairbrush. Maybe I'd have just enough time to make myself look presentable before I had to rush off to school.

Just then, Graham walked in. "Good news, team." He announced, looking at his phone. "This weekend, we're off to Paris."

"Enough with the press tour!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, storming over to Graham. "They have important work to do! Because of you they missed a mission and people got hurt!"

"Well, that's unfortunate, but they had other priorities right now." Graham told Mr. Davenport, before walking off.

"Other priorities?" I repeated as Mr. Davenport and I turned towards the others.

"Oh, so getting your faces in front of the camera is more important than saving lives?" Mr. Davenport questioned them.

"We didn't say that." Chase objected. "It's just things have changed."

That was the wrong thing to say. "Well, I'm glad we got sixteen years of bionic training so you could do the weather for AM San Diego."

Although Mr. Davenport was just exaggerating, Adam, Bree, and Chase looked at each other nervously. "That's tomorrow." Bree told us.

Mr. Davenport shook his head at them. "You know what? I'm really disappointed in you guys." He started to walk away. "All our hard work, and all you care about is being famous."

"Mr. Davenport-" Chase tried to reason with him, but the man wasn't going to listen.

"You know what? Save it!" Mr. Davenport snapped. "I thought you guys were heroes. I guess I was wrong."

With that, Mr. Davenport walked out of the lab. I shoved my hairbrush back into my bag and started to leave as well, only for Chase to grab me by the wrist. "You know that we don't only care about the fame, right?" He asked me.

I sighed and shouldered my backpack. "Well, you guys seemed pretty content to run off with Graham when you knew you had more important things to deal with." I told him. He flinched at my tone, but I didn't care.

"Calla-" Chase began, but I didn't give him the chance.

"By the way, I had to give our dinner reservations to my cousin Faith and her new boyfriend." I told him, starting to leave.

"I missed our date, didn't I?" Chase realized. I didn't answer him as I headed for the door. "Calla, wait!"

"Chase," I stopped, not looking behind me, "I'm running on two hours of sleep and half a granola bar. You really don't want to start an argument with me right now."

I stormed out of the lab without another word, heading for school.

** xxx **

"I hate cafeteria food." I grumbled to myself, stabbing the mystery meat with my fork. Suddenly, a paper bag was dropped in front of me.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I bought you lunch then." I glanced up from my meal to see Chase sitting down in the seat across from me. I glanced at the bag.

"What is this?" I questioned. He smiled.

"Taco Bell. It's fast food, but it's still Mexican." He pointed out. I looked at him incredulously for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Okay, that is good." I agreed, pulling some food out of the bag. "That is awesome."

Chase laughed. "Well, it was the least I could do." He said. "So, about earlier."

"I was rude and mean. I'm sorry." I apologized. He shook his head.

"We should have been there. I know how much you hate going on missions." He said. I nodded.

"I thought you were going to San Diego." I mentioned, taking a bite of the fajita that Chase brought me. He shook his head.

"There's been a little change in plans." He told me, smirking. "We get to meet President Obama."

"Are you serious?" I questioned. He nodded. "Have fun."

"I want you to be there." Chase continued. I frowned.

"Why? You don't need me to do anything, and Kieran, Leo, Caleb and I were going to study for next week's biology test." I reminded him. Chase smiled deviously.

"Trust me; you're going to want to be there." He told me. Something in his tone made me smirk.

"Okay, this sounds…interesting." I admitted. Chase smiled and leaned forward to kiss me.

"It will be." He promised. "On a completely related note, I'm starting to get why you hate Agent Graham."

"What did he say?" I asked, looking at Chase. He sighed.

"Oh you know. He threatened to lock us in cages like 'the circus freaks we are'." He quoted. I gasped.

"I'm going to kill him." I decided, starting to stand up. Chase grabbed my hand and pulled me back down.

"Wait until after we do our presentation for the president." He told me. I sighed.

"Fine." I agreed, then sighed. "Now, go on. Tell me all about Des Moines and Einstein's brain."

** Leo's POV **

"Hey Janelle." I greeted, walking into the gym. I figured that she'd be here working on her science fair setup instead of having lunch in the cafeteria, and I was right. "Need any help?" I offered.

She smiled at me. "Sure, can you put this over there?" she asked before handing me a cardboard cut out of Adam. I looked at it, slightly annoyed.

"I can think of a few places I'd like to put this." I muttered, placing it behind her table like she asked. "But why do you need a fake bionic man when you have the real thing standing right in front of you?"

Janelle looked at me, an amused smirk on her face. "This again?" She sighed. "Leo, I'm busy. I don't have time to talk about your make-believe bionic arm."

"Okay, well I've got something that will make you believe." I told her, walking to the center of the room. I looked for a target, decided on the garbage can, and activated my bionics. A laser sphere flew out from my hand and hit it, causing it to fly into a display on the other side of the room.

"Did you just…" Janelle stared at me, wide-eyed. I smirked.

"Shoot a laser sphere out of my hand? Yes, yes I did." I replied confidently. Janelle looked shocked.

"Wow." She shook her head in disbelief. "You really are bionic."

"I told you." I commented. "Hey, you want to see my pyrokinesis?"

I raised my hand into the air, rapidly shooting little bursts of fire into the air. It was all going smoothly, until my arm suddenly started jerking around. Fire balls started going everywhere. While most of them burnt out before they could cause any real damage, one of them hit the Adam cardboard cut-out. It knocked the head clean off, caught fire, and hit the table. The tablecloth caught fire, and soon Janelle was trapped in the corner by a wall of flames.

Fire alarms started going off as Janelle stared at the flames in fear. There was no way for her to escape. "Are you okay?" I shouted.

"Do I look okay?" She screamed back.

"Well, you look fine now! It's the next few minutes that I'm worried about!" I retorted.

** Calla's POV **

"Adam, Bree, and Chase all said that they want us here! Besides, President Obama is here!" I insisted, dragging Mr. Davenport down the hall to the lab.

"I don't care if the president is coming, I don't want any part of this." Mr. Davenport snapped, pulling his arm away from me. I smirked.

"Yeah well, you were demoted and I'm your supervisor, so you don't have a say." I replied, leaning against my desk and grabbing my smoothie. Chase sent me an appreciative look from where he and his siblings stood in their mission suits.

"He's here! Everyone in position." Graham instructed, straightening his tie and standing by the others. The President walked in then, accompanied by two of his body guards. "Mr. President." Graham greeted, shaking his hand. "Welcome to the home of the world's first bionic super humans."

"It's an honour to meet you, Mr. President." Chase said, stepping forwards. "I'm Cha-"

He was cut off midsentence by Adam as the older boy bowed. "Good tidings my lordship."

"Adam." Mr. Davenport muttered under his breath. I merely face-palmed, hoping that this wouldn't end up a total train wreck.

The President pointed at everyone's favourite idiot. "He must be Adam." He assumed. Bree nodded, smirking.

"And you must be disappointed." She added. "I'm Bree."

"Very nice to meet you." The President smiled at them. "I just wanted to thank you for all the lives you've saved."

"It was our honour, sir." Chase replied. Graham looked at him.

"Okay team. It's time to show our commander and chief how your bionics work." He instructed. "Bree, you're up!"

"Absolutely, Agent Graham." I raised my eyebrows, suspicious. Whenever Bree used that tone of voice, she was planning something. "This is my superspeed."

Bree sped to the other side of the room, then back, then she sped around Graham several times. When she finally skidded to a stop, he fell to the ground, dizzy. Mr. Davenport and I looked at her in confusion. What was going on? Why had she done that?

"What's the matter with you?" Graham whispered, glaring at her.

"I don't know. I guess I spent so much time being a celebrity instead of training, that I can't control my bionics." She said with a shrug. Mr. Davenport turned on her.

"Bree, would you stop messing around?" He hissed. "The President is standing right there!"

"I know The President is standing right there." Bree told him in a hushed voice. Then it all clicked.

"Ah." Mr. Davenport and I said in unison, both of us figuring out their plan at the same time. I glanced over Bree's shoulder to smile at Chase. He gave me a thumbs up in return, grinning.

"Sorry about that, sir." Graham told The President, having recovered. Chase turned towards the man.

"Mr. President, how about I demonstrate my telekinesis?" He offered. The President nodded.

"Sure." He agreed. Chase stepped forward and raised his hand. The smoothie in my hand started hovering midair, flying above all of our heads. When it hovered above Graham's head, Chase discreetly turned his hand and the smoothie tipped over, the strawberry and banana goodness spilling all over Graham. Then the now empty cup fell to the floor.

Everyone tried to hide their smirks at that, but it was even harder when Chase added "Oopsie."

"Graham, what is going on?" The President demanded, looking at the smoothie covered man.

"It's fine." Graham lied.

"Everything's fine. Adam, why don't you show the President that thing you do with your breath."

Adam sighed and walked up to the President. Then, he breathed loudly in his face. The President grimaced at the smell and Graham let out an annoyed groan.

"Not that! The big force thing." Graham told him. Adam nodded.

"Oh, you mean this." He realized. He glanced meaningfully at me and Mr. Davenport, motioning for us to move. Mr. Davenport stepped behind the supercomputer while I ducked in between Bree and Chase, taking the latter's hand. Adam turned towards Graham, sucked in a deep breath, then blew. Wind the strength of a tornado flew from his mouth, sending Graham back several feet.

"That's enough! Okay, that's enough." Graham called, gripping my desk so that he would not go flying out of the room. Adam, however, didn't stop once.

"His bionic breath must be stuck!" Chase exclaimed, almost too cheerfully.

"Davenport! Do something!" Graham shouted. Mr. Davenport laughed.

"Oh! Look who finally needs my help!" He grinned. Graham sent him a glare, then looked at my desk.

"Don't worry, Mr. President! I'm sure one of these buttons will take care of everything!" He exclaimed, reaching for one. My eyes widened when I saw which, but there was nothing I could do. Graham hit the button and the floor beneath the President and his body guards disappeared. They fell through the floor into the bottom part of the lab.

"Oh no." Graham paled and ran towards the hole.

"Get me out of here!" The President's angry shout could be heard all the way up here. Mr. Davenport grinned.

"Nice job Graham. That's one way to get noticed by your boss." He commented. I nodded in agreement.

"But it's not a very good way to keep your job." I pointed out. I glanced at the messy liquid still covering him. "By the way, you owe me a smoothie."

** Leo's POV **

"Janelle!" I shouted, running back into the gym, a fire extinguisher in my hands. She was standing in the corner, the farthest place she could get from the flames. "Don't worry Janelle; I'll save you."

"That's why I'm worried!" She snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"Cover your face." I ordered. Her arms flew up to protect her pretty face and I started the fire extinguisher, spraying the foam everywhere and screaming the entire time. After a minute, Janelle got annoyed.

"You can stop spraying! The fire is out!" She told me. I did as she said and she looked up from under her arms. Her face was the only part of her not covered in foam.

"I know, I was trying to extinguish your rage." I explained.

** Xxx **

"You know," I began, using a towel to get some of the foam out of Janelle's hair, "someday we're going to look back on this-"

"-And I'll still be angry." Janelle interrupted me. I sighed and dropped the hand holding the towel. "What just happened?"

"I'm sorry." I apologized. "I just want you to like me as much as you like Adam."

Janelle smiled at me. "Leo, I like you more than I like him. Which is strange because you're always trying to kill me." I laughed at that, although she didn't seem amused. "It's not funny yet."

That got me to shut my mouth. "I'm going to go hose off." Janelle told me, walking away. I watched her as she left.

"Hey!" I spun around when I heard Douglas' angry voice. "You swiped my remote!"

He stopped suddenly and took a look around the room. He looked at me. "Uh-oh. Did you do this?" I smiled guiltily. "See, this is why I can't trust you with your bionics!"

"I'm sorry, I had to use them!" I exclaimed. "When Janelle kept talking about Adam, I got jealous and-"

Douglas cut me off, smiling. "I get it. This was all about a girl. You were afraid you were going to lose her. I've been there."

I looked at him. "You have?"

"Not really." He admitted. "Ladies love me."

I sighed and pulled out the remote. "So I guess you're going to turn off my bionics permanently now?" I guessed, handing it to him.

"Tell you what. As soon as you clean up this mess, I'll start training you on how to use your bionics properly." He offered. I stared at him.

"Really?" I questioned. He nodded.

"Yeah. I can't expect you to know how to drive a car when you bionic arm-bike still has the kickstand on."

I looked at him, ignoring the bad joke. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Douglas replied, just as serious. "Oh, one more thing."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a jar of pickles. "Would you please? I haven't eaten all day."

I shook my head, but took the jar from him anyway. It was the least I could do after he promised to train me.

** Calla's POV **

"I wonder how Graham's going to get out of this one." Chase said to me. I chuckled as the President, his bodyguards, and Graham walked back into the lab.

"So, Mr. President, anything else you'd like to see?" Graham asked, sounding nervous.

"Yes, your qualifications for this job." The President replied. I smirked.

"We'd all like to see those." I murmured. Chase smirked at my words. The President looked at his bodyguards.

"Call Washington. Have them send a replacement for this clown immediately." He ordered.

"Mr. President," Bree stepped forward, "we have a replacement. Him."She pointed at Mr. Davenport.

The President frowned. "The smoothie guy?" he questioned.

"He's not the smoothie guy, he's our father." Chase corrected. "And our real leader."

"Agent Graham doesn't care about our missions or helping people. He just wants to make money off of us." Bree accused. The President looked at Graham.

"Is this true?" He questioned.

"Sir, with all due respect, we can't let a civilian control the world's most powerful weapons." Graham tried to convince him, not realizing that he said the wrong thing.

"Weapons?" The President echoed. "They're not weapons. They're his children. You're done Graham." He looked at his bodyguards. "Get him out of here!"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, unable to contain myself as they dragged him away. Everyone turned to look at me. "Oh come on! You were all thinking it!"

The President looked at Adam, Bree, and Chase. "And she is?"

I opened my mouth to introduce myself, but Mr. Davenport beat me to the punch. "She's the smoothie girl." He told the President. I looked back at him. "Remember, I like my papaya smoothies to be in Davencups, not the lame paper ones you get at the store."

I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind, sir." I replied. I turned towards the President. "Calla Parker, lab assistant. It's a honour to meet you sir."

"It's a pleasure, Miss Parker." He nodded before turning to Mr. Davenport. "Mr. Davenport, the government owes you an apology. We had no right to come between you and your family."

"And Mr. President, we owe you an apology too." Chase said. "Our bionics didn't really glitch. We just had to expose Graham and show you that he wasn't qualified to lead us."

"I figured something was up." The President agreed. "I've seen the footage of your abilities. They're quite impressive."

Adam, Bree, and Chase smiled proudly. The President turned back to Mr. Davenport. "Listen, if you can keep me briefed, I see no reason why you shouldn't resume control here."

"Thank you Mr. President." Mr. Davenport smiled, shaking his hand. The President reached into his pocket.

"Before I leave, I have one more thing I need to do." He announced. He pulled out his phone, leaned back so that he was next to Adam, Bree, and Chase, and snapped a photo. "BAM! Bionic selfie." He explained. He saw our looks and cleared his throat. "It's for my daughter."

We all raised eyebrows at that, clearly showing that we didn't believe him. He walked away without another word. We all looked at each other.

"Okay, I say we all get smoothies to celebrate Graham's removal." Mr. Davenport announced. We all grinned.

"Sounds fun." "Cool." "I love smoothies." "Great." We all replied. He nodded.

"Calla, go get us some smoothies." He ordered. I looked at him and he smirked, clearly not about to back down. I sighed.

"I do not get paid enough for this." I muttered, but still I smiled.

** Leo's POV **

"Okay Leo, this is the expert training target." Douglas declared, showing me Calla's new holographic target that he'd gotten her to make. "You'll be lucky to even make contact."

I raised a hand, aimed, and shot three fire balls through the center of the target. Douglas stared at it. "Triple bulls-eye?" He sounded amazed.

"You were saying?" I questioned. He looked at me, impressed.

"Wow, good job." He admitted. He raised the remote. "A few more weeks and I just might feel comfortable to take off your training wheels."

"A few weeks?" I demanded. No! I wanted them off now!

"We have to be cautious." Douglas warned. "We never know when you might accidently lose control again."

I looked at him, about to object, when I got an idea. "You're right, Douglas. An accident can happen at any moment."

I started to walk away, but stopped suddenly and raised my hand. A laser sphere shot from my hand and hit the remote, destroying it. I grinned at his annoye d expression. "Oops."


	2. Alien Gladiators

** Chase's POV **

"Hey Calla." I greeted as I walked into the lab, Adam and Bree behind me. My girlfriend briefly glanced up from her computer to smile at me, then went straight back to work. I smirked and leaned on the back of her chair, peering over her shoulder to see what she was up to. "Are those new designs?"

Calla nodded, then saved her work and shut her laptop. "Yeah, it's a new product I was hoping to get in The Call."

I frowned. "But that's months away."

Calla nodded. "Yes, but it's only at the designing phase. Besides, then I have to wait for the prototype, then I'm going to have to fix whatever glitches that comes with because we all know that prototypes generally come with a lot of them, then I'm going to have to wait for the final product and then-"

"Enough with the tech talk, nerds!" Adam complained, leaning on Leo's desk. Calla rolled her eyes.

"In short, I'm only at stage one and I have to be very efficient if I want the final stage to be done in time for The Call." She explained. I nodded and she brightened up. "But never mind that, how was Los Angeles?"

Ever since Agent Graham, or Mr. Evil-Man, as Calla enjoys calling him (she really doesn't like government men for some reason) was removed from our lives, there had been a lot less press conferences. However, Mr. Davenport had asked that we be at the opening of his new Davenport Industries building in Los Angeles, so we'd been gone for a couple of days.

"It was great! You should have seen the gift store!" Bree exclaimed. Calla laughed.

"Please, I know what those gift stores sell. Nothing but Davenmugs and T-shirts with my boss' face on them. And let's not forget the calendar." We all shuddered at the thought of that abomination. Adam shook his head though and pulled out his backpack.

"Check out what they have! This is even cooler than being famous!" He grinned as he pulled out his souvenir. It was a miniature, bobble-head version of himself. "They have mini-versions of Bree and I, and a life-size version of Chase!"

"Why are yours life-size?" Calla frowned. I rolled my eyes, glaring at Adam.

"They aren't." I told him. Adam's grin grew.

"Well, it's not like he could get any smaller." He pointed out.

Calla bit her lip to keep from smiling and looked up at me from her seat. "You have to admit, that's a good one." She told me. I shook my head.

"Oh, I got you something." I told her, reaching into my pocket. She raised an eyebrow.

"As much as I would enjoy a bobble-head Chase Davenport, I'll pass." She told me. I smirked.

"It's not a bobble head. I didn't even get it at Davenport Industries." I told her, pulling out the small black bag. I handed it to her and she opened it, a curious look in her eyes. They widened when she saw what was inside.

"Oh my god, Chase. I love it!" She grinned at me, pulling the necklace out. It was a silver chain with a dolphin hanging off of it, the silver creature curled around an aquamarine stone. "It must have cost a fortune!"

"Don't worry about it." I replied, waving off her concerns about money. Honestly, it hadn't cost that much and the lady at the store gave me a discount once she realized who I was (I wasn't about to say no to that) but Calla didn't need to know that.

The brunette spun around in her seat and allowed me help her put the necklace on just as Leo ran into the room.

"Guys!" He exclaimed, running in. We all looked at him and his wide grin. "Alien Gladiators are coming to Mission Creek!"

Adam gasped. "I knew this day would come! Thankfully, I came prepared for the alien invasion." He exclaimed, rushing to where we kept our stuff. He came back seconds later, a tinfoil hat sitting on top of his head. We all stared at him while he continued to talk. "Chase, you hold them off while the rest of us who deserve to live escape!"

He grabbed Calla and Bree by the arms and started dragging them out of the room.

"No, no, no. Not real aliens." Leo explained. "My favourite sci-fi franchise: Alien Gladiators. They hold annual fan conventions and this year, it's in Mission Creek."

"I love Alien Gladiators!" I exclaimed. "'In the future, rivals alien worlds, the Morps and the Zarcanians, will battle over control of the galaxy!'"

"Oh, I remember that movie." Adam nodded. "It was terrible; the whole thing was blurry."

Bree laughed. "You didn't wear your 3D glasses." She reminded him.

"Well I didn't want to look stupid." Said the boy wearing the tinfoil hat. I looked at Calla.

"I bet the entire cast will be there!" I grinned. "I have everybody's autograph, except for that new guy who's going to be playing Prince Landor in the sequel, André Ethier."

Bree's eyes nearly popped out of her head then. "Whoa, back up. As in baseball superstar, André Ethier?" She questioned. I frowned at her.

"Since when do you care about baseball?" I asked, knowing full well that Bree didn't care for sports that much.

"I love baseball! You know…with the bases and… the ball…" We all looked at her. "Okay, whatever. André Ethier is cute and if he's there, I'm there."

"You coming, Calla?" I asked. She hesitated.

"I have a lot of work to do and-" She began, only to be cut off by Leo.

"They're bringing back the fire-staff challenge." He told her. Hey eyes brightened immediately.

"I'm there!" She grinned. Adam frowned.

"What's a fire-staff?" he asked. Leo grinned and grabbed what looked like a bo staff with lights off his desk.

"This is a fire-staff." He announced, spinning it around. He hit it on the ground and the staff lit up in a bright green colour. Adam looked at it, unimpressed.

"It looks like a stick with lights." He pointed out.

"It's a fire-staff!" Leo snapped. Calla grinned.

"The competitors fight each other with their own staffs." She explained. Leo nodded.

"And this year, the winner's going to get a walk-on role on the next movie." He continued. We all grinned. "And that winner is going to be me."

Calla laughed. "Sure it is Leo. Keep on telling yourself that." She teased. Leo gave her a look.

"You think you're better than me?" He challenged. Calla looked at him, clearly amused.

"Leo, I've been helping Chase with his bo staff training for a few years now. I think I have the advantage." She reminded him.

"Ah, but you forget who taught him to use a bo staff in the first place." We turned around to see Mr. Davenport walk into the lab, dressed in a long flowing cloak and carrying his own fire-staff, this one blue. "Greetings, good Morps."

Calla and Leo stared at him. "What are you doing?" Calla questioned.

"I'm getting ready for the Alien Gladiator's convention." He explained. "I am Elder Lumina. And Elder Lumina will be victorious in the fire-staff challenge."

Leo chuckled. "Look, Elder-ly Lumina, I hate to get your robe in a bunch, but… that role is mine."

"Actually, it's mine. Don't kid yourself Dooley – neither of you have a chance to win." Calla snapped. Mr. Davenport looked at her and laughed.

"In your dreams. I've been watching these movies my entire life and winning that role will fulfill my biggest childhood dream."

Calla and Leo looked at him. "I think childhood dreams expire when you hit forty." "Yeah but your childhood must have been centuries ago!" They both told him.

"Alright, back up micro Morps." He raised his fire-staff and started spinning it around his body with an expert's touch. He had made a good point earlier; he had taught us how to use bo staffs. He was far from being an amateur.

When he was done, Calla and Leo looked stunned and mildly fearful. "Still think I'm too old to compete?"

Calla had the sense to keep quiet. Leo, on the other hand, couldn't help but make another comment. "I'm not sure whether I'm more surprised by your moves, or the fact that your dentures didn't fall out."

Mr. Davenport glared at him and Leo was smart enough to start running as the older man chased after him, his fire-staff in hand.

** xxx **

Twenty-four hours later and Leo was still showing off his moves. This time we (Bree and I) were sitting on the bench in the school lobby, watching as Leo swung his fire-staff around and around.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Leo asked after showing us another move. He nodded at the staff. "It's shiny because I showered with it."

"…Okay." "That's not weird at all." Bree and I commented. Bree stepped forward.

"Do you really think you can beat Calla and Mr. Davenport?" She asked doubtfully. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Please. Once Big D starts sweating, he'll go blind from his hair dye." Leo replied confidently. "And as for Calla, I'll just have Chase distract her."

"No, you won't." I corrected. He sent me a look, but didn't have a chance to object as Adam and Jaden walked down the stairs towards us.

"Alright, I'm all caught up on Alien Gladiators." Adam announced. Jaden frowned.

"Okay, how has he not seen the movies? I don't usually watch sci-fi, but even I've seen every movie." Jaden commented. Bree looked at him.

"You're not into sci-fi stuff? But you have two toy lightsabers at home, along with a Tardis-shaped cookie jar in your kitchen." She pointed out. Jaden sighed.

"Calla seems to get a new science fiction obsession every year. This year it's Alien Gladiators, last year was Doctor Who, the year before that was Star Wars…I'm terrified to find out what it's going to be next year." He sighed. Adam sent him an annoyed look.

"ANYWAY," he said loudly, clearly not liking that he was ignored, "They are great movies, but they're missing one thing; Space Dog."

We all stared at him. "Space Dog?" I repeated when he didn't clarify.

"Yeah, he'd be the perfect companion. Besides, in space, after he's done his business it just floats away." He suggested. Bree rolled her eyes, then looked at Jaden.

"So, are you coming to the event with us?" She asked. He nodded.

"Definitely." He agreed. Suddenly, I heard an annoyed sigh from behind us. Calla was walking towards us, Kaitlin following her.

"Please, please, please?" She was begging. "I'll be your best friend again!"

"Kaitlin." We all greeted, fake smiles on our faces. Kaitlin had been Bree and Calla's best friend once upon a time, but ever since the secret about our bionics came out, she'd been avoiding us like a plague. Not because we were bionic, but because we all lied to her, which I suppose is a pretty good reason. It wasn't like I minded that much – Kaitlin wasn't my favourite person in the world, but I still had to be nice to her because Calla and Bree would kill me if I wasn't.

"Hey guys." She greeted, smiling at us. I glanced at Calla, whose face was screaming 'save her from me!'.

"So, what can we do for you?" I asked, trying to help. Kaitlin grinned at me.

"Well, I was wondering if you guys were going to the convention tomorrow." She began. I nodded.

"Yep; we're even dressing in character. I'm going as Gigabit. Half human, half robot." To show her what I meant, I started doing the robot.

"And I'm going as Prince Landor." Leo told her. "Handsome, yet brave, yet handsome."

"Well, I will be going as the beautiful Queen Andromeda." Bree declared. Kaitlin gave her a look.

"Really? You?" She questioned. Bree nodded, looking mildly offended by Kaitlin's tone. "Well, it is a fantasy world."

"So, are you going to the convention, Kaitlin?" Jaden asked. She sighed dramatically.

"Well, I was, but I don't have anyone to drive me." She looked at us pleadingly and I figured out what was going on between her and Calla.

"Sure. We'll drive you." Jaden offered, ignoring the annoyed look on Calla's face. Kaitlin beamed at him.

"Thanks Jaden, you're incredible!" She exclaimed, before walking away. Jaden looked at his sister.

"Why did you say yes?" She demanded. Jaden crossed his arms.

"I know you're mad at her for being mad at you for lying to her, but you both need to get over it, and I think Kaitlin has." He told her. She glared at him and I decided to quickly change the subject.

"So Jay, Cal, who are you guys going as?" I asked. Jaden grinned.

"I'm going as the great and powerful, King Thanasis." He declared. Calla rolled her eyes.

"I'm going as Zephyra, the assassin." She replied. "She's a pretty cool character, and my only other option was going as Pelageya, the Queen's servant. And I am not being Bree's servant."

"Aww, but that would be fun, me telling you what to do all day." Bree teased. Meanwhile, Leo was still messing around with his fire-staff. He swung in one direction, then spun around to jab in another. Except Perry walked out of the nearby classroom, nearly being hit by the fire-staff.

"Watch the glow stick, Circ Du So-lame." She snapped, pushing the fire-staff away.

"Sorry Principal Perry, just getting my Morp on." Leo explained. "There's an Alien Gladiators competition tomorrow and-"

"Blah, blah, blah. I hate all the Morp stuff." Perry said. Leo looked at her, stunned.

"But Alien Gladiators rule!" He objected, holding up his fire-staff. Perry grabbed the staff and pulled it away from him.

"No, I rule." She corrected. "And that's why I'm confiscating this stick. No weapons allowed on school grounds."

"But I need this for the fire-staff competition!" Leo protested, trying to take his fire-staff back. Perry pulled it away from him once again.

"And I need it to unclog my toilet." Perry grinned, walking away. Leo watched her go, looking seriously peeved.

"But that's not fair!" He complained. Calla crossed her arms.

"Actually, it is fair, Leo." She pointed out. We all stared at her.

"Did you just side with Perry?" Bree demanded. Calla shrugged.

"You're not allowed weapons on school grounds – it's in the rule book. Why do you think I didn't bring my fire-staff to school?" She questioned. Leo glared at her, crossing his arms.

"Know-it-all." He muttered.

** Xxx **

So, we were all at the event, all dressed up in our costumes. Bree's Queen Andromeda costume consisted of a long black and silver dress and a large crown. My costume was basically just a robot costume, nothing really special to it. As for Adam, he was wearing a giant dog costume, a clipboard in his hand.

He walked over to a group of people, grinning widely. "Please sign my petition to get Space Dog in the next Alien Gladiators!" He said. "He'll make a solid addition to the team, bark my words."

I rolled my eyes. "Will you leave people alone?" I demanded. "Nobody cares about Space Dog. And you look ridiculous in that thing."

"Space Dog isn't concerned with looks!" Adam exclaimed as I pulled my helmet off. "Space Dog only protects. And occasionally eats his own vomit."

I turned to make a joke to Bree, but stopped when I saw the autograph line. "There's the line for the autograph signing. I brought my action figure carrying case for Prince Landor to sign." I grinned, holding up the tin box. Bree glanced at me.

"You mean André Ethier?" she questioned. I looked at her like she was crazy.

"No, I mean Prince Landor. Who would want a baseball player's autograph?" I questioned. Bree sighed, shaking her head. Then Adam decided to speak up.

"You know what Prince Landor needs? A-" I cut him off before he could continue.

"If you so much as mention Space Dog to Prince Landor, I will roll up the windows on the space ship and park you next to the sun." I threatened. That shut my brother up.

"Hey, I wonder where Jaden, Calla, and Kaitlin are?" Bree said aloud, scanning the crowd for her boyfriend as we got into the line.

"Jaden and Kaitlin said they'd meet us here." I told her. "Calla will too, but only after she has crushed Leo and Mr. Davenport in the fire-staff challenge."

Bree looked at me. "You really think she's going to win?"

I nodded. "Have you seen that girl with a bo staff? Calla can be very deadly when she wants to be." I reminded her. She thought about it, then nodded.

"You've got a…you've got to be kidding me!" She exclaimed, glaring at the crowd.

** Leo's POV **

I found Big D at the competition site, dressed in his Elder Lumina and practicing his moves.

"Hey Big D." I greeted, walking up to him with my own fire-staff in hand. He turned around and smirked at me.

"What took you so long? Nervous?" he teased. I shook my head.

"No, I had to sneak into Principal Perry's office to get my fire-staff back." I explained. Then I remembered what I'd seen in the cage in the closet. "By the way, is it legal for her to have a pet jackal?"

Big D shrugged. "I'm ready." He grinned, turning on his blue-fire staff. "Let's do this!"

He then proceeded to attack the nearest person, knocking them off the stage.

"The competition hasn't started yet." I informed him. A look of realization crossed his face.

"Oh." He looked down at the guy that he'd attacked. "Sorry!"

"By the way, have you seen Calla?" I asked. "Jaden was giving her a ride, wasn't he?"

"I'm right here, Dooley." I heard from behind me. I turned around to see a smirking Calla leaning on a lavender-coloured fire-staff. She was dressed in her Zephyra outfit, which consisted of a black jacket, a silver shirt, black pants, knee high silver boots, and silver fingerless gloves. "So, what do you think?"

I nodded my approval. "Nice. What do you think of my outfit?" I asked, spinning around to show off the brown and white outfit. She grinned.

"It's cool. I like how you added the red sash. It's a good addition." She complimented. Suddenly, a voice came over the intercom.

" _Can all competitors in the fire-staff competition please come to stage and sign in."_

And with that, the competition was ready to begin.

** Xxx **

I got to fight first, facing off against a guy in a black outfit with a white cape and a mask that reminded me of a fly's head. He was good, but I was able to dodge all of his hits and when I got a decent blow to his stomach, he flew off the stage. I turned around and grinned at Calla and Big D. "And that's how you do it in Dooley-ville."

Big D was next, fighting against the guy he threw off the stage earlier. Clearly, the guy hadn't forgotten that and was trying very hard to defeat Big D. Unfortunately for me, my stepdad wouldn't be taken down so easily and after a brief tug-a-war with the fire-staffs, he kicked the man off the stage. "Respect the robe, okay?" Big D said proudly.

Then it was Calla's turn. You know how most nerds are pretty weak and couldn't win a fight to save their lives? Yeah, Calla wasn't like that at all. With a series of swift blows, one after the other, she quickly got the advantage over her opponent and knocked him down. "Is this seriously the best you can do?" She questioned, watching as the fallen fighter got to his feet.

Then it was my turn again. This opponent was much harder and for a brief moment, I thought I might actually lose. Then he ran at me and I ducked to the side, praying he wouldn't hit me. I guess that my prayers worked, because he ran right off the stage. "Not going to lie; Dooley-ville got a little lucky on that one." I admitted.

When Big D fought again, it seemed like it was way too easy for him. A couple of well placed hits and his opponent was flipped off the stage.

Once again, Calla beat her opponent in style, taking him down with a kick to the back of his legs and a strike to his upper back. It didn't look like anyone could beat her.

Then came the semi-finals. It was Calla VS some Zarcanian in a mask, then it would be me VS Big D. Whoever won those fights would face each other in the finals.

"Come on, Calla!" I cheered as my friend got onto the stage. If by some tragedy, I didn't beat Big D, I wanted her to take him down in the finals. Calla might brag and tease me for a month if she won, but he would tease me for the rest of my life.

But Calla's winning streak seemed to be going down the drain. The Zarcanian was tough, blocking all of Calla's hits and landing a few of their own in her stomach.

"Check out that evil Grand Zarcanian." I said to Big D as Calla held her fire-staff up in defence. It was clear that she was having trouble staying in the game. "What a show off. Probably some overzealous fanboy."

Suddenly, that 'overzealous fanboy' managed to get the better of Calla, swinging their fire-staff at her back. The strength of the blow was so powerful that it knocked Calla clean off the stage and she landed on the ground next to us, a confused and pained grimace on her face.

"That fanboy just beat Calla and made it to the finals." Big D pointed out, helping the girl up. "Which means either you or me have to fight them."

"Yeah, have fun with that." Calla growled, rubbing her back while glaring at the person who beat her. "They're good."

"Well, I'll show them how good I am after I crush Leo's dreams." Big D announced, walking onto the stage. Calla gave me a look.

"Beat him. Beat him hard." She instructed. I nodded and grabbed my fire-staff, heading onto the stage.

I had to admit; Big D was a pretty good opponent. At the beginning, it was almost as if he was going easy on me, never really attacking but instead choosing to just block my attacks. Then he stepped back, readjusted his grip on his fire-staff and charge at me. I managed to block it, holding him back with my own fire-staff.

"I trained you well." He commented, smirking. I looked at him.

"You didn't train me!" I snapped, pushing him away and aiming at his shoulder. He blocked the swinging and we continued to spar for a minute. I managed to get a couple of blows in, but in the end, he managed to knock my fire-staff out of my hands. It landed a foot away from me as I hit the ground.

I stared up at him as he smirked. "Now, for the final death blow!" He announced, raised his fire-staff above his head. Then he froze, a panicked look on his face.

I frowned in bewilderment. "What happened?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing!" He hissed, although he was clearly in pain. He still couldn't seem to move from his position. "I'm fine! I can battle!"

Clearly he couldn't, because seconds later, his stiff body fell, hitting the padded area around the stage. The bell rang, announcing me as the winner and Calla and I rushed to Big D's side.

"Are you okay?" Calla demanded. I waved my hand in front of his face.

"Can you see?" I questioned. He frowned at me.

"Of course I can see." He growled. I grinned.

"Good. Because I don't want you to miss a single second of my victory dance!" I jumped back on stage, grabbed my fire-staff, and began to celebrate.

** Chase's POV **

"You've got to be kidding me!" Bree exclaimed, staring. I turned to see Jaden and Kaitlin standing there, the latter dressed exactly like Bree was. "Hey guys. Great costumes." Kaitlin smiled. "Bree, you dressed up like Queen Andromeda too?"

Bree continued to stare at her. "I told you I was dressing up like Queen Andromeda." Bree exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad." Kaitlin assured her. Bree looked at her, then at her boyfriend for an explanation. Jaden raised his hands.

"Hey, I'm staying out of this one." He stated, clearly not wanting to be dragged into a fight. Bree sighed.

"Fine. Nice costume, by the way." She told him. She was right; Jaden was dressed in a robe like Mr. Davenport, except his was black and silver. A smaller version of Bree's crown was sitting on top of Jaden's head, but he had chosen to skip on the eye makeup, which was a good idea in my opinion.

"Hey, can we jump in line with you?" Kaitlin questioned. We all looked at her uneasily. None of us wanted to tell her yes.

"I'm not-" I began, only to be cut off by the terrifying girl.

"The Morps pride themselves on being loyal to other Morps, Chase!" Kaitlin snapped. I exchanged a look with Bree, then sighed.

"Okay, fine. Come on in." I sighed. Kaitlin and Jaden grinned, getting into line. But while Jaden stood at the back, just behind Adam, Kaitlin pushed us all out of the way until she was standing in front of us.

"I'm starting to regret agreeing to drive her." Jaden muttered. I was about to agree with him when one of the people working the autograph signing walked down the line.

"Folks, the turnout is higher than expected, so we're cutting off the line." The man announced. "Please don't riot like you did last year; I've only just got feeling back in my scalp."

We all exchanged looks, wondering where the line would be cut off. The man looked around, the pointed at Kaitlin. "Everyone from this point forward gets a wristband granting them access to the André Ethier autograph signing. Woohoo." He handed Kaitlin a wristband, then started handing them to the people in front of her. I looked at him, distraught.

"What about everyone else?" I demanded. He looked at me.

"You get a frustrating story to share in the cafeteria." He replied, walking away.

"Kaitlin!" Bree snapped at her friend. Kaitlin hesitated before turning around.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" she questioned.

** Leo's POV **

"I am so jealous of you Leo." Big D complained as I helped him stand. "The only thing standing between you and that walk-on role is that evil Grand Zarcanian kid."

"I'm not so sure that's a kid." Calla commented, walking up with a heat pack. She handed it to Big D. "Seriously, no kid is that strong."

"Don't worry, I got this." I assured them, grabbing my fire-staff and jumping on stage.

People started cheering all around me as I faced my masked opponent. "Morp! Morp! Morp!"

"Prepare to face the greatest warrior in all of Morpdom!" I declared, spinning my fire-staff fiercely. I pointed it at my opponent. "Be a man and unmask yourself!"

I regretted those words the second they raised their mask. A horrible, disgusting face was grinning evilly back at me. "Surprise!" Principal Perry sang, adjusting the grip on her fire-staff.

"Ah!" I screamed in surprise. There were gasps from all around; clearly, her evilness was quite known. Even Big D and Calla looked stunned. "Please tell me that's another mask." I pleaded.

Perry just gave me a look. "Principal Perry? You said you hated Alien Gladiators!" I exclaimed. By this point, the official running the competition, Big D, and Calla had joined us on stage.

"No, I said I hated Morps. But the Zarcanians are a deceitful and despicable species." She replied with a grin. "Those are my peeps."

"How did you get this far in the competition?" Big D demanded. Calla nodded.

"There's no way I lost to YOU!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, you have the muscle tone of a new born calf!" I agreed. Perry glared at me.

"He should be eliminated!" She said to the official. "He stole that fire-staff from my locked office. That's illegal."

"So is having a jackal at school!" I retorted. She considered that.

"Fight on!" She declared. But before either of us could attack, a loud bell rang throughout the fighting area. "Dinner Break!" She screamed, running towards the cafeteria.

I watched her go, trying hard to contain my fear at having to fight her. Both Big D and Calla seemed to pick up on it though.

"What's wrong?" Big D asked, concerned.

"Perry fights dirty!" I exclaimed. "I'll never be able to beat her!"

"I think I speak for both me and Mr. Davenport when I say that it would be much more pleasing to see you win that walk-on role than Perry." Calla commented. Big D nodded.

"So perhaps, during the dinner break, Prince Landor would benefit from the sage mentoring of Elder Lumina." He decided. I raised an eyebrow at that.

"The same Elder Lumina that's now using his fire-staff as a cane." I pointed out. Big D glared at me.

"It's not a cane. It's a…space age…walking…enhancer." He decided on, shuffling forward.

** Chase's POV **

"I can't believe I'm going to meet Prince Landor!" Kaitlin squealed, completely oblivious to the fact that we were all upset with her. "We're going to be best friends!"

"Kaitlin, we were in line first! We only let you in as a courtesy!" Bree exclaimed. I nodded.

"Which is why I deserve that wristband! What happened to Morp loyalty?" I demanded. Kaitlin looked at me.

"Get a grip, dude. It's just a movie." She pointed out. Okay, that was it!

"Give me that wristband!" I shouted, leaping at her and attempting to rip it off her arm. She refused to let go of it and soon, Bree was pulling on her, Adam was pulling on me, and Jaden was trying to push the two of us apart.

** Xxx **

"My mom is going to kill me if she ever finds out about this." Jaden muttered as he, Adam, Bree, Kaitlin and I slowly walked into the cell in the security office. Yeah, I suppose being detained by security would not seem like a good thing to his police officer mother.

"You're not getting out of here until Mr. Ethier has left the building." The security guard told us. "So sit tight, nerds."

As if things couldn't get any worse, we were not alone in the cell. A short boy in a white Morp suit walked up to us. "Greetings good Morps! I am Mind-Melder, spiritual guide…" He caught sight of Bree and grinned, "And the most eligible bachelor in the galaxy."

Bree stared at the boy, clearly weirded out. Jaden coughed loudly into his hand to disguise his laugh. Clearly, he found the kid more amusing than threatending.

"No, nothing?" Mind-Meldor asked, still looking at Bree. She shook her head and he sighed, turning back to me. "The Zarcanians have captured-"

"Not now, nerd!" I snapped, still angry at Kaitlin. I turned to the girl. "Look at what you've done! Because of you, I'm going to miss out on meeting Prince Landor!"

"Well so am I!" She exclaimed. "And now I'm stuck in here with you, Giga-butt!"

We started arguing then, only to be stopped by the nerdy kid. "Silence Morps!" He shouted. "Halt this bickering, else I will melt thee brains!"

He raised his hands, pretending to melt our brained. I looked down at him, shaking my head. "Okay, it's melt THY brains. Learn your Morpian lexicology." I told him.

** Leo's POV **

"So, what advice have you got for me?" I asked. Big D thought about it.

"Okay, just like the Zarcanians, Principle Perry's weakness is her anger." He told me. "When they get mad during an attack, they lose sight of their defence."

I nodded; it made sense. "What does that mean?" I asked.

"You've got to get her to charge at you." Big D told me. I looked at him.

"But if I do that, won't she charge at me?" I asked nervously.

Calla smirked. "That's what you want, Dooley." She told me, ignoring the fact that I was shaking my head.

"Calla's right. Then, when's she's charging at you, do my signature move, the Morp Vortex." He finished. I frowned.

"The Morp Vortex?" I repeated. He nodded. "Just so you know, you can get too nerdy with this stuff."

** Chase's POV **

I can't believe we were still in here! It had already been an hour and the guard had left over twenty minutes ago. Currently, the Mind-Meldor kid was pacing the cell, I was leaning against the bars, Jaden had been absently humming the Jeopardy song under his breath for the past half hour, Bree was sitting in the corner, and Kaitlin was sleeping, drooling into Adam's shoulder.

"Great, now I'm stuck in here with a bunch of weirdos." Adam complained. Bree smirked.

"Says Bree every Saturday night." She commented. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the bars. Then suddenly, something caught my eye. Sitting right next to a large sandwich was a set of keys.

"Guys, look!" I exclaimed. Adam, Bree, and Jaden got up and ran to the bars, Kaitlin falling against the bench, still sleeping.

"The guard left his sandwich!" Adam exclaimed, pointing at the desk. "Chase, you're going to have to use your telekinesis to get it for me!"

"…OR, I could use it to get the keys." I pointed out. Adam nodded.

"But after the sandwich." He instructed. I ignored him and raised my hands to use my telekinesis, but instead, I found myself suddenly being dragged backwards by Bree.

"Hello? You can not do that!" She exclaimed. "If Mind-Meldor realizes that the three bionic humans are in front of him, we'll become the convention."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Jaden questioned jokingly. I smirked, then looked at Bree.

"Don't worry; I've got a plan." I assured her before walking over to Mind-Meldor. I cleared my throat to get his attention. "Mind-Meldor, make haste!" I ordered. The boy jumped to his feet instantly.

"Is there danger, Gigabit?" He asked, confused.

"Yes. Our Zarcanian Overlord left his keys on the desk." I told him. He looked at me.

"Who needs keys when Mind-Meldor can explode steel bars with his mind?" He asked, pretending to blow up the bars.

"Quite impressive." I cut him off before he could continue. "But perhaps you could use your mind-shifting abilities to retrieve the keys?" I suggested.

He just looked at me. "You serious, dude?" He asked. I looked at the others for some help.

Bree sighed. "I am the Morp Queen! Impressive me with your mental prowess and I'll…be into you and stuff."

Jaden glanced at her. "Really?" he mouthed silently. "And stuff?"

Bree rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. But Mind-Meldor, completely unaware of their little exchange, was all for impressing Bree. "Yeah, you will." He agreed confidently. Then, realizing that he'd broken character, he corrected himself. "I mean, your wish is my command, your highness!"

He walked up to the bars, ready to 'retrieve' the keys. Adam smirked. "Hey, while you're at it, can you see if you can get me that sandwich?" he requested. I punched him in the arm, then got Mind-Meldor's attention back on the job.

While the kid was distracted (and by distracted, I mean he was holding his hands out, pretending he had telekinesis) I used my bionics to lift the keys off the table and hover them over to us. Mind-Meldor had this amazed look of disbelief plastered onto his face as the key actually came him way.

"Yes!" I grinned as he handed the key to me. As I rushed to unlock the door, he started freaking out.

"I did it! I am Mind-Meldor!" He exclaimed. I opened the door and he burst through it, running out of the room shouting, "MOM!"

We all chuckled as we exited the cell. Unfortunately, Kaitlin woke up just as we were escaping. She rushed to leave as well, but Adam shut the door on her, locking it. "What are you doing?" she demanded, clutching the bars.

"You betrayed us!" I reminded her. "And Morps pride themselves on being loyal to other Morps, Kaitlin!"

She stared at me, offended, but I didn't actually care. "Later!"

We started to walk out, but accidently ran into…André Ethier!

We all stared in amazement. "Hey, do you guys know where I can change?" he asked. "I've got a game tonight and I don't want to make the mistake of showing up in this thing again. It did not look flattering on the Jumbo-tron."

I looked down at my action figure carrying case. "I'll point you where the bathroom is if you give me an autograph." I offered.

André Ethier smirked. "Baseball fan, huh?" he guessed, taking the case from me.

"Nope." I replied, grinning as he signed it. Bree was still staring at him with hearts in her eyes.

"Hi André, I'm Bree" she introduced. He smiled at her.

"That's a beautiful name." he commented. Her smile grew, as she started giggling nervously.

"Thank you, I came up with it myself." She began to babble. "Wait, wait no I didn't. I don't know why I said that. I-"

Jaden gently covered her mouth with his hand. "You're embarrassing yourself." He warned her before grinning at André Ethier. "Name's Jaden, big fan."

André Ethier smiled back, then handed me the carrying case. "Second door on the left." I pointed out the washroom.

"Thanks." He replied. He started to leave, but stopped at the door. He looked at Adam. "Space Dog, that's brilliant."

He then walked out. Adam stood there for a moment, before running out, screaming, "I KNEW IT!"

** Leo's POV **

"So, what do you think my odds are?" I asked Calla. She looked at Perry, then at me.

"You really don't want to know." She told me, dead serious. Big D walked up to us then, holding his robe in his hands.

"Prince Landor," he greeted, holding the robe out to me. "Elder Lumina would like to present you with his warrior master robe for battle."

I stared at it, surprised. This was actually a pretty big deal for Big D to give up his robe.

"Wow, thanks Big D." I replied, turning around as he helped me put it on. Then, a terrible odour hit my nose. I sniffed the robe, then looked at him. "Why does it smell funny?"

He grinned. "Because I refuse to wash it." He replied. Calla patted my back.

"Maybe the toxic fumes will make Perry pass out?" she suggested hopefully. I rolled my eyes and listened as Big D gave me some last minute advice.

"Now, Calla and I have taught you everything you need to know to win." He told me. "Now, take Perry down."

Calla handed me my fire-staff and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled gratefully at them both before stepping on stage. Perry was already waiting there, her mask on and her fire-staff ready.

Not wanting her to get the first blow in, I spun my staff and hit her in the back. She leaned over, her hand out. "Wait, stop! I'm hurt!" She cried.

"Are you okay?" I asked instinctively. Bad idea. Perry slammed her fire-staff into my stomach, the force of the blow sending me back a few steps. I ran at her, ready to strike, but as it turned out, she was ready for me. She blocked all my blows and hit me several times in the back and stomach.

She pushed me back and I barely managed to block the fire-staff with my own. I ran away from her then, stumbling over to the side of the stage where Big D and Calla waited.

"I can't beat her!" I exclaimed, ready to surrended.

"Yes you can!" "Don't be a coward, Dooley!" They encouraged.

Big D sent Calla a look, then turned back to me. "Use the Morp Vortex! Get her to charge at you!" He instructed.

I turned back to see Perry waiting for me impatiently. I sighed and got back to my feet, holding my fire-staff tighter than before. I dodged her first blow, then stood back and smirked. "Hey Principal Perry, while I was in your office, I broke into your cheese drawer!" I taunted. She gasped.

"What's the point in a guard jackal if it doesn't do it's job?" she demanded, charging at me. I leapt over her and hit her from behind. She was knocked back until she was standing on the very edge of the stage.

"Don't let it end like this!" She cried, knowing full well that I was about to win. I was about to hit her with my fire-staff, then changed my mind. I lowered my staff, then blew a soft breeze her way. She fell right off the stage and the alarm went off.

Everyone started cheering for me as the official walked up and gave me my prize; a plaque and the walk-on role in the movie.

"Okay, not bad, Dooley." "Leo, I am so proud of you." Calla and Big D congradulated, walking onto the stage. I smiled at them.

"Thanks. But you know what's even better than this?" I asked. I handed the walk-on role to Big D. "Seeing my step-dad in the next Alien Gladiators movie."

Big D looked at me, stunned. "What?" he asked, confused. I smiled.

"That walk-on role is yours." I replied. He smiled.

"Thank you, Leo." He said. I shook my head.

"No, thank you. I wouldn't have been able to win this without your help." He smiled and gave me a hug. Calla just looked at me.

"I helped too, you know!" She reminded me as Big D went to go talk to the official about his role. I sighed.

"I only have one walk-on role to give away!" I exclaimed. I checked my pockets to see how much money I had. "I'll buy you a pretzel stick from the cafeteria."

She considered that. "Make it a chocolate covered pretzel, and it's a deal."

"Agreed." She gave me a hug, then glanced at Big D.

"It was really nice of you to give him the role, by the way." She told me. I nodded.

"Well, now he can die in peace, so we're all happy." I joked.


	3. Brother Battle

** Chase's POV **

"Put! Me! Down!" I shouted angrily, pounding my fist against Adam's back to get him to drop me. Seriously, why did he always have to carry me over his shoulder like I was some weight from his weight rack?

"I told you; my weight set broke and I need you to be my barbell!" Adam defended himself. I glared at him, still being held against my will. "And please don't scream this time. It's distracting."

He continued to carry me around. I groaned in frustration. Apparently, using me as a piece of fitness equipment had become his Saturday morning routine. Lucky me.

Suddenly, Mr. Davenport walked down the stairs, probably having heard the racket Adam and I were making. He took one glance at me and Adam and immediately came to my defence. "Adam, out him down. That's how people get hurt." He scolded.

Thank you! "Good point." Adam agreed. "I should probably stretch first."

He tossed me onto the ground without a warning and walked away. I climbed to my feet a second later. "I'm so tired of him." I complained to Mr. Davenport. "So far this week I've been his weight set, his football, and his jump rope!"

"Well, on the bright side, you've never looked more fit." Mr. Davenport joked. I looked at him.

"I'm serious. He's always using his strength to make my life miserable."

"Why don't you get even?" I turned around to see Douglas leaning against one of the support beams.

"How?" I questioned. "None of my abilities can compete with his strength, and it's hard to torture him with brain teasers when he doesn't have a brain."

Mr. Davenport nodded in agreement at that. But Douglas didn't seem amused – he actually seemed pretty serious. "Maybe I can unlock a new ability." He offered. "Give you something you never had before – the upper hand."

I nodded, smiling. "Yes, let's do it!"

"Uh, let's not!" Mr. Davenport snapped, jumping in between us. "Absolutely finito. Forget it!"

"Why not?" Douglas questioned. I frowned at Mr. Davenport. This was a good idea. Why was he siding with Adam on this?

"Because I said so!" Mr. Davenport replied. "You live under my roof, you play by my rules. End of discussion."

With that, he headed back upstairs to finish whatever he had been doing. We watched him go.

"'You live under my roof, you live by my-'" Douglas started mocking Mr. Davenport, only to be caught by the man himself.

"I can hear you!" Mr. Davenport called, cutting Douglas off. By this point, Adam had come back.

"Alright, Chase. My hammies are loose. I'm ready for round two." He announced.

"Ah, ah, ah." I stopped him. "Mr. Davenport says you can't bench press me anymore."

Adam's smile didn't falter in the least. "Yes, but he didn't say anything about you being my shot-put."

I looked at Douglas, expecting him to say something, but he just watching us. "Come on! Let's go for gold!" Adam exclaimed.

Well, that left me with only one thing left to do. I ran. Adam ran after me, chasing me around the house for a long time. I did everything I could to get away from him, but he managed to keep up.

Eventually, I found myself sprinting towards the living room. For a brief second, I thought about just leaving, maybe heading over to Calla's house. I seriously doubted that Adam would follow me all the way over there. But that thought was cut short as I ran straight into another person. We both fell to the ground, both stunned from the hit. Adam came to a skidding stop next to me.

"Look what you did, Chase! You knocked Calla over!" He exclaimed. I sent him a glare and got to my feet.

"Sorry babe." I apologized, holding out my hand. She grabbed it, pulling herself up.

"Let me guess, Adam, you want to use Chase in your daily workout?" She glanced at the older boy. "And you, Chase, are trying to escape."

"Yep." "Of course." We replied. She sighed loudly.

"Okay, I have a solution. Adam, I actually need to talk to Chase, so why don't you go convince Jaden to be your basketball or something?"

He sighed. "Fine." He muttered before sulking off. I looked at Calla and frowned.

"You just told Adam to torture your brother." I commented as she grabbed her backpack off the ground. "Why?"

"This is why." She replied, pulling out a sopping wet science textbook. I frowned.

"Do I even want to know?" I questioned. I looked her over and realized that her textbook was not the only thing that was wet. "Did you take a shower before you came here? Your hair is soaking wet."

"Yeah, I was sitting on the porch, looking over the last chapter we did in class, and my  _lovely_  brother decided that it would be hilarious to push me into the pool." She explained. I nodded.

"Ah." I nodded. "Do me a favour and tell me you didn't drown him for it. Bree would be in such a bad mood."

That made Calla laugh. "No, my mom stopped me before I could." She replied. "But can I borrow your textbook? You know almost everything and I need it to study."

"Almost everything?" I repeated. "What's with the almost?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't want your head to get any bigger than it already is." She teased, kissing me on the cheek. "So, textbook?"

I thought about it. "Help me with something first?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Help you with what?" She questioned. I sighed.

"I need you to help me convince Douglas to unlock another one of my hidden abilities so I can get Adam off my back."

She thought about it. "I shouldn't. Whenever you try to get even, it never ends well."

"Name one time-" I tried to object, but she cut me off.

"The time you got even with Adam after he dislocated his shoulder and you nearly suffocated in your capsule." She pointed out.

"Nothing like that's going to happen. I promise." I assured her. She sighed sadly and looked at me.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She told me. "Now, where's Dougie? We might as well get this over with."

I grinned. "Hey Douglas?" I called. The man came walking into the room.

"Oh, the girl is here." He noted, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter. Calla nodded.

"Yeah, lovely to see you too." She replied. "Anyway, we need you to do something."

"What's up?" He asked, lowering himself onto the couch.

"You have to unlock a new ability for me." I pleaded. "And soon! Before he finds his boxing gloves and hooks me to the ceiling!"

Douglas looked at me. "Sorry, but Donny said no." He replied. "Look, I feel your pain. When we were kids, he'd push me around all the time. Then I outgrew him."

"Then you got the upper hand?" I asked.

"No, he invented a robot to beat me up. Fisto Roboto was as cruel as he was calculating." Douglas told us seriously. Calla gasped.

"Why have I never thought of that? I could just invent a robot to mess with Jaden!" She exclaimed. I gave her a look. "But that is not what we're discussing right now. Besides, if you know what it's like, why won't you help Chase?"

"He said no." Douglas repeated. I sighed. "And I've got to stay on his good side, or else he'll cut off my allowance!"

We both looked at him. "I'm saving up to buy a car." He explained proudly. "You know, in case I have to live in it."

"Okay, remind me to help you find a job." Calla told him. Suddenly, I had an idea of how to get Douglas to do as I wanted.

"You know what? It's fine. I get it. Mr. Davenport is smarter, older, and he controls you."

Calla gave me a look that clearly said 'Even Douglas isn't stupid enough to fall for that' but she was wrong.

"He doesn't control me! He just tells me what to do and when to-" He seemed to realize what he was saying. "You're on! Let's unlock a new ability!"

I grinned. "Told you he would help us!" I whispered to Calla. She didn't say anything, just shook her head at me. Douglas started towards the lab, then stopped.

"Wait." He told us. He turned towards us. "Grab some bats."

"Why?" Calla asked suspiciously. He grinned.

"We're going to pay a little visit to Fisto Roboto."

** Calla's POV **

"I can't believe you actually drove us all the way out here to beat up some old robot bully." I commented as Chase, Douglas and I entered an old warehouse. "Why did Mr. Davenport even keep it here anyway?"

"He just never got around to destroying it, I guess." Douglas replied, his hand searching the wall for the light switch. "This is where he keeps all the old inventions that he doesn't touch anymore."

The lights flickered on then and my mouth dropped open. "You don't say." I murmured.

It was like heaven in here. Everywhere I looked there were piles and piles of old inventions or spare parts or wicked prototypes that were never finished. I could spend the rest of my life in here exploring them.

Chase looked amazed too. "Why did you never show us this place?" He questioned, turning around in a circle to get a better look at the place. Douglas chuckled at our expressions.

"Come on you two; time to find Fisto Roboto." He tapped his baseball bat against the ground to add emphasis.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." I told them, starting to wander down the many halls of warehouse. Then, I turned around on the spot. "Hey Douglas…"

He sighed. "Take whatever you want, so long as it fits in your backpack." He told me. I grinned.

"Thanks!" I called before running to the nearest crate of inventions.

Behind me, I heard the boys chuckling. "Girls do love shopping." I heard Douglas say to Chase.

"Yeah, but she's cute when she's excited." Chase pointed out. I ignored both of them and started checking out what there was to use here.

I spent what felt like hours carefully going through the old inventions, occasionally shoving something potentially useful into my backpack. So far, I'd already grabbed what looked like a plasma glove, a failed attempt at building a sonic screwdriver, and what I think were the original design plans for Eddy's mainframe.

"What's this?" I asked myself, pulling out a small box. It was about the size of a cell phone box, with a label on the top that clearly read: FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY. Well, that only made me more curious.

Cautiously, I opened the box. A small black remote with a single button on it was inside with the Davenport Industries logo on the back. There was a small sticky note stuck to the top. The note on it was written in Mr. Davenport's handwriting.

_ Bionic Disruptor: Press button to temporarily block all bionics in a ten foot range. Can only be used once. _

"Bionic disruptor?" I repeated. Why would he need one of those? Well, with Krane and S-1 out there, it was probably a good idea. But judging by the layer of dust and the make and model of the remote, it had to be at least ten years old. Back then, the only bionics would be Adam, Bree, and Chase and I couldn't even imagine Mr. Davenport using any sort of weapon, even a non-lethal one like this, against them. I couldn't think of a reason why he'd build one.

Still, I didn't put the disruptor back in the crate. Krane and S-1 might be in jail, but for some reason, I had this chilling feeling that they wouldn't be the last bionics Adam, Bree, and Chase ever faced. And now that the secret was out, there was bound to be some idiots who would try make themselves bionic. This could come in handy.

So, I pocketed the invention, swearing right then and there that I would never in a million years use it on Adam, Bree, Chase, or Leo.

** Chase's POV **

"I can't believe you grabbed so much stuff from Mr. Davenport and Douglas' warehouse." I said to Calla as we walked into the lab. She shrugged and dropped her full backpack onto her desk.

"Douglas said I could take whatever I wanted. Plus, I've got plans for this stuff." She told me.

"Chase, stop talking to your girlfriend and get over here!" Douglas called. "We have to be quick before Donny gets back."

I nodded and walked over to him. Before I could say anything, Douglas shoved a small piece of metal into the side of my neck. "This will let me look through your list of hidden abilities and see which one to give you." He told me. I frowned.

"Why don't you just give me them all?" I asked, confused. Douglas looked at me like I was an idiot.

"No way. The human body can only take so much." He told me, picking up the IPad. "It's like a water balloon. You fill it up too much and…well, I don't want to spend the night scraping Chase chunks off the ceiling."

I shuddered at the thought. Meanwhile, Calla and Douglas were going through the list of hidden abilities.

"Night vision?" Calla suggested, pointing at the IPad. Douglas shook his head.

"Nah, his phone has a flashlight." He replied. He looked at the IPad and grinned. "Acid spit! That sounds fun."

"Until he drools in his sleep and melts his face off." Calla commented. I looked at them, a little offended.

"You guys do realize that I'm still here, right?" I questioned. They ignored me.

"This one?" Calla pointed at another. Douglas shook his head.

"No." He replied. He skipped to the next hidden ability and both of them started laughing.

"Let's not give him that one." Calla managed between giggles. She skipped to the next one and both their expressions turned seriously. "Definitely no to that one."

I coughed loudly, a little annoyed that I'd been cut out of the conversation. Suddenly, they both grinned.

"That one!" "Yes!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

"We've got it." Douglas told me, leaping in front of the super computer. I grinned.

"Sweet!" Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "Wait, this isn't going to hurt, is it?"

Douglas hesitated. "Well, it's not going to hurt Calla and I."

I looked at him and he chuckled. I faked a laugh too, but was still worried about whether or not he was actually joking.

** Calla's POV **

"Hey Calla." Adam greeted as he walked into the lab. I glanced up at him and smiled, then went back to my work. "What are you doing?"

"I found Eddy's original programming at one of Mr. D's old warehouses, so I'm using it as a guide to create my own sentient AI system that I can use to help me complete projects in the lab." I explained. He frowned.

"Huh?" He asked, confused. I sighed.

"I'm making an Eddy 2.0." I reworded my sentence. He nodded.

"Cool." He sat down at Leo's desk. "I've got a question for you."

I nodded, shut my laptop's lid, and gave him my full attention. "What's up?"

"Which would be scarier? A horse sized duck or a duck sized horse?" He was completely serious. I sighed. Whenever Adam had a question like that, he expected you to take it just as seriously as he was, or he'd get upset.

"Well, I suppose the horse-sized duck, but if you had a hundred duck-sized horses, then they might have a chance." I said after a moment. He considered this just as Chase walked in.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." He mused, eyes on Adam. "I sure hope Adam doesn't try to bench press me, or throw me across the room."

Adam was still too busy trying to figure out the duck/horse problem to listen to Chase. "Like right now." Chase continued to try and get Adam's attention. "Tiny doll-like body, just begging to get hurt."

"Not now, Chase. I'm busy." Adam brushed him off. Chase looked at me for an explanation and when I didn't offer him one, he turned back to Adam.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

Adam sighed. "I'm trying to figure out which is scarier; one hundred duck-sized horses or one giant horse-sized duck."

"Well, I bet they can both take you in a fight." Chase taunted. Adam just looked at him, clearly unimpressed.

"Chase, that wasn't even an option. I need you to take this seriously." Adam told him. "Now, I'm thinking it's the massive duck-"

"Just hit me!" Chase ordered, cutting him off. Adam looked at him, annoyed.

"If you keep interrupting me, I'm going to hit you." Adam warned. Seeing where this was going, I quickly shoved my laptop into the safety of my bag. I could finish my AI later.

"Then do it." Chase requested.

"That wasn't interrupting." Adam replied, still quite calm. "In order to interrupt someone, you actually have-"

"Just hit me!" Chase exclaimed, interrupting him. Then, Adam lost it.

"There it is!" He exclaimed, before stepping towards Chase. Before he could actually attack Chase, the shorter boy stepped into a fighting position, a electric blue bo staff appearing in his hand.

"What's that?" Adam asked, confused. Chase smirked arrogantly.

"Laser bo. It's my new ability." To show off, he spun the bo staff around his body before pointing the weapon at his brother.

"That's not a new ability." Adam laughed. "It's a giant glow stick. But you hang onto it. We'll need it on Halloween when we cross the street."

Chase's smirk didn't waver as he charged at Adam, swinging his bo staff at his head. Although Chase had trained with a bo staff for a long time, Adam wasn't as easy to beat as anticipated. The older boy actually managed to block the first two blows, but then Chase spun around and hit Adam in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall. Adam fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ow!" Adam complained, sitting up. Chase smirked, then walked out.

"Hey!" Adam called after him, only to be ignored. "None of this would have happened if you hadn't interrupted me!"

I sighed. I hated getting in the middle of their fights, but if I didn't, no one would. "Are you alright?" I asked, offering Adam my hand. He nodded and got to his feet.

"Ow." He muttered. "He's so not getting away with that."

He started to storm off, much to my annoyance. "Do you seriously need to get revenge?" I called after him.

"Yes!" He shouted back, leaving the lab. I sighed.

"Boys." I muttered before running after him.

** Chase's POV **

"Here is the textbook you requested." I handed my science book to Calla. She smiled.

"Thanks. Caleb and I were going to study later at the library." She replied. I scowled at his name. "What?"

"I don't like you two hanging out so much, that's all." I replied. She sighed.

"He's my friend, Chase. Just my friend." She reminded me. I nodded.

"I know. But I just don't trust him." I told her. She gave me an annoyed look. "How would you feel if I started hanging out with Skylar or some other girl that liked me?"

She crossed her arms. "While you do make a fair point about Skylar, you DO realize that about 40 percent of the girls in the school are part of your fanclub, right? So you hang out with pretty girls that think you're cute every day and I don't complain." She stated. "And unlike Skylar, who will only settle for being your one and only, Caleb hasn't even flirted with me since we started hanging out again."

"Calla…" I tried to object, but she didn't give me the chance.

"He knows better than to mess with someone else's girl, Chase. I thought you said you would try to put up with him." She looked at me pleadingly. "Right now, he's one of my only friends whose last names aren't Dooley or Davenport."

I sighed. "I'll put up with him." I agreed, earning a smile from her, "but that doesn't mean I have to like him hanging around you all the time."

Before she could argue, we heard Adam's voice. "Try to get me now, Chase!"

Not bothering to get off the couch, both Calla and I turned our heads towards the source. Adam was standing five feet away from us, a giant plastic ball surrounding him from the knees up.

"At least he thought to put holes for his feet." Calla commented.

"Adam, what are you doing?" I questioned, staring at him.

"I'm taunting you from the safety of my battle bubble." He replied, sounding quite proud of himself. "This way I can get you, but you can't get me."

Then he activated his heat vision. Calla and I turned away as it burst, sending bits of plastic in every direction. "Is the bubble still around me?" Adam asked after a moment.

I smirked. "Yep, you're good." I replied sarcastically. I stood up. "This won't hurt one bit."

"Chase!" Calla grabbed my hand to stop me, but I pushed it away and activated my laser bo. I was about to attack Adam when I heard the front door open.

"Chase?" I turned around at the sound of Mr. Davenport's voice. Realizing that I was in trouble, I deactivated the bo. "What is going on?"

Adam grinned widely. "Oh! You're in trouble!" He sang gleefully. Calla sat on the couch, watching us all in vague amusement. "Hey, do you want to borrow what's left of my battle bubble?" Adam offered, holding out a strip of plastic.

"Mr. Davenport, I-" I tried to explain, but he held up his hand to stop me.

"No. Not a word out of either of you. Calla," he turned towards my girlfriend, "I want an unbiased explanation now."

"Chase said he'd let me borrow his science textbook if I helped him convince Douglas to give him a new ability to make him and Adam an equal match, and I said yes. After a little trip to beat up an old robot, Douglas gave him the electric bo staff." Calla replied. I sent her a look and she smiled guiltily back. 'Sorry' she mouthed at me.

Mr. Davenport sighed. "Where's Douglas?" He questioned. Calla jumped to her feet.

"I'll get him." She offered. She ran into the other room and came back a second later, dragging Douglas by the wrist.

"What…oh. Busted, are we?" Douglas guessed, seeing the look on his brother's face.

"You went behind my back and gave Chase a new ability?" Mr. Davenport demanded.

"I was only trying to help!" Douglas defended himself. "Look, I know you're mad but…at least I'm not trying to abduct the kids anymore!"

Mr. Davenport did not look amused. "That's true." I tried to help Douglas. "He hasn't committed a felony in weeks."

"Days." Douglas told me.

"Days." I corrected myself.

"Wait! You gave him a new ability?" Adam demanded. Douglas nodded. "Well, don't expect a mug on Father's Day. Oh, darn! I already ordered it!"

Mr. Davenport looked at Adam, Calla and I. "Can you guy give us a moment?" he requested. Adam looked at Calla and me.

"Yeah, thanks guys." He told us before looking at Mr. Davenport. "Hey, don't worry; you're getting a mug too."

"I meant you, Calla, and Chase." Mr. Davenport told him. Adam looked offended.

"Fine, then nobody's getting a mug!" He exclaimed, before remember something. "Oh darn! I already ordered them!"

I started to follow him, but stopped when I saw Calla gathering her things. "Where are you going?" I asked, confused.

"Library, remember?" She replied, shouldering her bag. "Try not to kill each other before I get back."

** Xxx **

I sighed, walking into the lab. Adam hadn't spoken to me since the battle bubble incident and I didn't blame him. I really messed up this time. I'd gone just a little too far with the revenge, and I had to own up to it.

"Adam?" I called, finding him sitting on the couch in the lab. He looked at me, but didn't say anything. "I'm sorry I went overboard with my new ability. Having that kind of power is…exhilarating."

Adam stood up. "See, now you understand why I beat on you all day long." I didn't say anything, although I really wanted to. "Hey, I hope this brings us closer."

I nodded. "Look, now that I've made my point, can we agree that things need to go back to normal?"

Adam thought about it. "Sure." He held out his hand. "Put it there, bro."

I grinned and went to shake his hand. But as I stepped forward, he pulled his hand back, took a deep breath, and hurricane-like winds pushed me back until I was lying on the ground on the other side of the lab.

I looked up at him from the ground, eyes wide. "What was that?"

"My pressurized lung capacity or, as I like to call it, my blow thingy. I discovered it before our meeting with the president, remember?" He questioned. I groaned. How could I forget?

I jumped to my feet and looked at him. "I thought that was still glitching!"

"Douglas fixed it for me because he wanted to make things even between us." He replied. "I asked for machine guns in my eyebrows, but he said that would just give me headaches."

"I thought you just agreed that things should go back to normal!" I protested.

"Well, they are." Adam told me. "I'm more powerful than you again and there's nothing you can do about it."

Oh really? "Oh, there's definitely something I can do about it." I growled, activating my laser bo.

Adam chuckled. "Silly Chase. Your glow thingy is no match for my blow thingy."

** Xxx **

Half an hour and three broken chairs later, Adam and I were still fighting. I briefly wondered how Mr. Davenport would react when he saw that we'd pretty much trashed the lab, but I was too focused on winning to care for more than a few seconds.

Adam blew another gust of wind at me, sending me tumbling over Leo's desk. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Davenport and Douglas enter the room.

"Adam, Chase, stop it now!" Mr. Davenport shouted. Neither of us listened. I got to my feet, only to be pushed back onto the ground by another gust of wind.

"You fixed his pressurized lung capacity?" Mr. Davenport demanded. I heard Douglas chuckle.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

Spinning my laser bo, I charged at Adam, slamming the staff against his arm as he blocked it.

"Will you two stop?" Mr. Davenport demanded again. I continued sending blow after blow at Adam, too furious to listen. Adam hit me to the ground and as I got up, he grabbed one of the chairs and threw it at me .I ducked, dodging it with ease, and it flew over my head at Mr. Davenport and Douglas.

"I thought you said everything was back to normal!" Mr. Davenport shouted, presumably at Douglas. I swung my laser bo at Adam, only for it to be blocked once more.

"It is! Adam has the upper hand and balance is restored." Douglas replied. "It's called parenting, Donny. Feel free to take notes."

Another gust of Adam's breath sent me back to the ground. With my free hand, I reached for the nearest object (Calla's still slightly damp textbook) and threw it at him. It missed him by half an inch and nearly hit the two adults in the room.

As Adam and I continued to fight using our new abilities, the argument between Douglas and Mr. Davenport seemed to be heating up.

** Calla's POV **

The second I entered the Davenport's house, I heard the sounds of large crashes coming from beneath me.

"What happened to no killing each other while I was gone?" I muttered to myself. I started towards the lab, intending on calling them all idiots until they stopped. Suddenly, what felt like another person bumped into me, knocking me to the ground. The thing was, I was the only one in the room.

I sat on the ground, looking around. Yep, the only living things in the room were me and Glitch, who was currently sitting on the couch. "Okay, that was strange."

Then I heard a chuckle. I looked around again, jumping to my feet. "What's going on?"

The chuckling grew louder, causing Glitch to get up. He hopped off the couch and started sniffing the ground in front of me. Then he sat down and raised his head to the sky, rubbing it against nothing. "Okay, is there a ghost in the room or something?"

"Nope." I started at the sound of Bree's voice. I spun around, trying to find her, but saw nothing.

"Bree?" I called. The laugh came again, coming from right above Glitch's head.

"Right in front of you." Her voice replied, although I still couldn't see anything. I frowned.

"Sure you are." I agreed sarcastically. "I didn't know you could throw your voice, Bree."

"I'm not. Douglas turned me invisible using your USB with those bionic abilities you designed." She explained. I nodded, finally getting it.

"Right in front of me, right? Are you next to Glitch?" I asked. She was silent. "Bree?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot that you can't see me nod. Yes, I'm right here." She told me. I nodded.

"Okay, cool. You realize how easy it's going to be now for you to sneak into Jaden's room when my mom's home?" I asked. I heard her laugh.

"That's the plan." She agreed. I smirked.

"So, do I even want to know what's going on downstairs?"

"Probably not." She replied. I nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay then. Let's go." I headed down to the lab, assuming that Bree was following me. What I found down there was a disaster. Chairs and other objects were scattered around, presumably having been thrown. Adam and Chase were pretty much trying to murder one another, and Mr. Davenport and Douglas were shouting at each other furiously. I stayed in the hall, close enough to see and listen, but out of their line of vision.

"I ask you to make things better and you make things worse, as usual!" Mr. Davenport accused. Douglas looked offended.

"Yeah, yeah. Just like when we were kids. Everything is always my fault! 'He didn't do this dishes.' 'He left my bike out!' 'He reanimated my dead gerbil and now it's a monster!'"

"Well, it was!" Mr. Davenport protested. "You should have let Herman rest in peace!"

"Man, I've got to stop walking into these conversations." I commented, glancing at where I thought Bree was. Both Douglas and Mr. Davenport ducked as a gust of wind was shot at them. Huh. Douglas must have fixed Adam's pressurized lung capacity. Cool.

"All you did was make the situation more dangerous!" Mr. Davenport shouted over the sound of the fighting. He picked up the destabilizer from my desk. I'd been working on it earlier, trying to improve on its basic functions. "You're like a destabilizer when it touches plastic."

Douglas smirked. "I think you mean metal." He corrected, taking the destabilizer from his brother. Mr. Davenport smirked as well.

"This isn't going to end well." Bree's voice came from right by my ear. I shook my head.

"Nope, not at all." I agreed as I watched Mr. Davenport pick up a piece of metal.

"You know what, I think you're right." He said to Douglas, touching both pieces of metal. The connection sent Douglas flying across the room.

Both Adam and Chase watched as he crashed into the wall, their own fight forgotten. "Wow, that was harsh." Chase commented, deactivating his laser bo staff. Both boys got out of their fighting stances and looked at Mr. Davenport.

"Yeah, it's ugly when brothers fight, isn't it?" Mr. Davenport questioned.

"Yeah, but with you guys it's also dangerous because you're super old and you can die." Adam replied, Chase nodding in agreement. I groaned loudly and walked out from the hall.

"Guys, we've discussed this. Youth does not equal invulnerability." I told them. They seriously needed to learn that lesson, else someone was really going to get hurt one of these days.

"How long have you been standing there?" Douglas questioned, getting up. I shrugged.

"Since Herman the zombie gerbil." I replied. I looked at them. "Speaking of which, do you think you can do that again? Because there's this hamster named Mikey that Jaden thinks 'ran away'…"

"We'll discuss why that's a bad idea later." Mr. Davenport told me before turning back to Adam and Chase. "Look, I know you two are polar opposites, but you're brothers. And you have to start learning to respect each other."

Chase scoffed. "You mean like you two do?" he questioned. That stumped Mr. Davenport.

"Well Douglas and I…you know…that…that's different!" He tried to protest. We all looked at them, waiting for a better explanation. "Look, we're adults and we've earned the right to act like children."

"Not really." I muttered, but was ignored.

"This behaviour has got to stop." Mr. Davenport told them. Adam and Chase sighed.

"Okay." "We've got it." They submitted.

"Good one, Donny." Douglas said before trying to escape the lab. Mr. Davenport stopped him before he could.

"Oh no you don't! You're not off the hook!" He said. "You can't just go around handing out bionic abilities."

"But that's why they like me more than you!" Douglas argued. Mr. Davenport glanced at the three of us, and we shook our heads. However, the second his back was turn, we all nodded at Douglas so he knew how we really felt. He subtly gave us all a thumbs up.

"Look, I know you're tying to help," Mr. Davenport sighed, "but you have to let me take the lead when it comes to the kids."

Douglas sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry."

Mr. Davenport nodded. "From now on, any major decisions have to go by me first."

"Absolutely…" Douglas agreed, a guilty smile on his face. "…but we're going to have to start that tomorrow because I kinda made Bree invisible."

"What?" Everyone, aside from Douglas and I, exclaimed.

"It's true." Bree's voice came from somewhere to my right. "I've been standing here as long as Calla."

Everyone looked around, trying to find her. Adam jumped forward and grabbed the air. "I got her! I got…" He exclaimed, then frowned. "Nope, that's air. That was air."

He continued to try and find her. Suddenly, the air shimmered next to me and Bree slowly became visible. "I can't believe you designed this, Calla." She grinned. I smiled back.

"Cool, huh?" I smiled. She nodded and disappeared again. Well, if anything, these new abilities would make life around here a little more interesting.


	4. The Decision

** Calla's POV **

I groaned, stumbling into Study Hall. I was so tired. I'd been at the Davenport's all night, catching up on all the work I was behind on while the guys were on a mission. Some of the stuff I had been working on was invention prototypes that had to be ready for testing by next week or they wouldn't be ready the next time The Call came around and I had barely begun to work on the second one when Mr. Davenport sent me home at 3 AM. I was going to be doing a lot of overtime this week that was for sure.

I tossed my backpack onto the desk and slumped down in a chair, wishing Chase was here. He usually knew how to wake me up in the morning. However today, he and his siblings were down at the news station, doing another interview. Seriously guys, hasn't the excitement about the bionics gone down by now? All of us were sick of it by now, including me and Leo. I mean obviously we weren't the main event, but a lot of people seemed to know who we were now. Which was okay, if you didn't mind the people pretending to be your friends so they can get close to Adam, Bree, and Chase, or the fangirls who wanted me gone so they could have Chase all to themselves. I swear, if one more idiotic little bubble-headed girl tries to scare me away again…

I sighed. I really wasn't enjoying being known only as 'Chase's girlfriend' by the public. I wanted to be taken seriously as a scientist and an inventor, and this wasn't helping me at all. Besides, I missed having Chase around. With him being so busy now with all the interviews and popularity and me being busy with all the extra work, we hardly had time for each other nowadays.

"Hey, want a drink?" A voice suddenly cut into my thoughts. I looked up to see Kieran standing there, holding two steaming cups. He smiled kindly. "You look like you can use one."

"You're amazing." I purred in appreciation, taking the drink from him. He shrugged.

"I made two, but I can't for the life of me remember who the second was supposed to be for." He replied. "So, I figured I'd give it to you. Seeing as you're practically sleeping on our table."

"Yeah, sorry. Thanks though." I took a sip of the drink. Tea, yummy. Kieran smirked at my expression as he sat down.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you liked it." He joked. I nodded.

"I haven't had a good cup of tea in ages. My dad used to make it all the time." I told him, feeling the usual pang of sadness that came whenever Dad was mentioned. Kieran didn't seem to notice though.

"Why'd he stop making it? Did he lose a taste for the stuff?" he inquired. I shook my head.

"He left – he was posted overseas." I replied. Kieran nodded, knowing better than to ask for more details, then frowned. He looked around the room as if searching for something, grimacing in pain. I frowned, confused.

"Something wrong?" I asked, concerned. He sighed.

"Hey, you know that feeling you get when you know you've forgotten something important, but you just can't remember what it is, no matter how hard you try?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah, well I've been getting that a lot lately, but every time I try to remember, I get this massive headache."

"And you have no idea what you've forgotten?" I confirmed. He nodded, the creases in his forehead relaxing as the headache passed. "Could it have been someone's birthday?"

He shook his head. "No, at least I don't think so. None of my friends have birthdays this month."

I thought about it. "What about homework? You forget to do that?" I asked.

"Nope, I triple checked it. Everything's done. And before you suggest it, I have not lost my keys or forgotten my phone anywhere." He told me as I started to open my mouth. I stared at him.

"Geez, can you read minds or something?" I muttered, trying to think of something he could have forgotten. I kept coming up blank, so I went with the first thing I could think of, no matter how illogical. "I know!"

"What?" Kieran asked, looking at me. I smirked.

"You've forgotten that you have a long lost twin brother that's out to destroy the universe!" I exclaimed, pointing at him. He stared at me for a long moment, before bursting out laughing. I laughed too.

"Okay, someone's clearly been watching too much TV." He decided. I crossed my arms, feigning annoyance.

"Hey, one of these days I'm going to be right about the long lost twin thing!" I told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, you've accused other people of having long lost evil twins?" He questioned, chuckling. I felt my smirk grow.

"Hey, it COULD happen." I defended myself. Kieran shook his head.

"The day you end up being right about that, I'll pay you two hundred dollars." He promised me. I laughed.

"It's a deal." I agreed. Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I quickly checked it and smiled when I saw who the text was from.

** From: Chase **

** Hey beautiful, I'm gonna be at the school in two minutes. Where are you? **

"Is that from your boyfriend?" Kieran teased as I typed out a quick response. I nodded, rereading the message before sending it.

** To: Chase **

** I'm in Study Hall with Kieran. Miss you. **

"Yes, it was from Chase." I told the brown haired boy. He nodded.

"You know, I still haven't met this guy yet." He commented. I frowned, then nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I should have introduced you guys earlier. My bad." I apologized. Kieran shrugged.

"It's no big deal, Calla. Besides, you've been really busy lately, right?" He asked. "What have you been working on?"

I grinned. While I despised working until 3 AM, I adored talking about the inventions I was working on. "Well, I got the idea after watching the nature channel…"

** Chase's POV **

"Study hall, study hall." I murmured under my breath, jogging into the school. I hated missing any of my classes, but this morning Adam, Bree, and I had been forced to go to some stupid interview. It was cool and all, but I was glad to be back at school.

I walked into the study hall room, searching for Calla. I found her in a few seconds, talking to some kid. He was short, with soft brown hair that went just past his ears. She was talking quickly, making gestures with her hands that could only mean she was excited about what she was talking about. The boy nodded every so often, occasionally taking a sip of one of the two drinks.

"Hey. What's with the drink?" I asked curiously, walking up. Calla and the boy stopped talking and looked at me. Calla grinned.

"Oh, he brought me tea. Isn't that nice of him?" She replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. The boy stood up and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Kieran. I'm new." He introduced himself. Suddenly, I felt a chill go down my spine.

** FLASHBACK **

" _Hi." I turned away from my locker when I heard someone's voice. I turned to see a tall boy with dark hair standing behind me. I didn't recognize him._

" _I'm Marcus." He introduced. "I'm new."_

** FLASHBACK ENDS **

Why did this Kieran kid remind me of Marcus? Something about him just seemed…off.

"…Hi." I replied. Kieran didn't seem to notice my hesitation.

"Calla talks a lot about you. It must be so cool to be bionic." He continued. I nodded.

"Yeah, it is. Hey, I'm just curious, what school did you go to before here?" I asked, trying to keep my tone casual. I knew nothing about this guy, and I didn't like that.

"Homeschooled, actually." Kieran replied before grimacing.

"Everything alright?" I questioned. He nodded.

"Just a headache." He assured me. I nodded.

"Alright, where did you live before? California?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yes, I did. Why?" He asked, sounding a little ruffled by the questions. Interesting…

"So, what do your parents do? Why'd you move here?" I continued with my questions. Calla gave me a look.

"What's with all the questions, Chase?" She asked before Kieran could even answer. "Stop pestering the poor guy."

"It's no big de-" Kieran began, but I interrupted him.

"Calla, can I talk to you outside?" I requested, gesturing at the door. Calla frowned at me, but nodded. She glanced at Kieran.

"Be right back." She told him before following me out the door. I closed it behind us, watching Kieran through the window. "Chase?"

"What do you know about him?" I asked. Calla looked at me.

"His name is Kieran Daniels. He is only a year younger than us, but he's taking mostly advanced classes, so I have three classes with him. He likes animals and wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up. His birthday is the 25th of May." She listed. She looked at me. "I can go on, you know, but I want to know why you're interrogating him."

"You DO remember the last time we got a new kid, right?" I demanded. She frowned.

"You mean Alistair? I remember Adam, Bree, and Jaden tormenting him. Wait; is this a new sort of tradition with the new kids?" She inquired. "Because if it is, it's kinda weird."

"Before Alistair." I insisted. She frowned.

"But there weren't any new kids before Alistair except for…" Realization made her eyes light up, "Okay, why are you bringing Marcus into all this?"

"Let's see. He's a new kid that we don't know much about. He's clearly very determined to be friends with you, since he's bringing you coffee and all that. Oh, and he wants to know about our bionics." I pointed out. Calla let out a laugh, but it seemed a little more annoyed than amused.

"It's not a crime to be a new kid at school, and since you only just met him like three minutes ago, how can you expect to know that much about him? Second of all, people can do nice things for each other because they're nice. He can be my friend if he wants, and I generally like him. And also, I don't think there's a person on the planet that doesn't want to know all about your bionics." She pointed out. I crossed my arms.

"What about his parents? He could be Krane's son for all we know!" I exclaimed. Calla crossed her arms as well, starting to look a little annoyed.

"I seriously doubt that, considering that his parents are dead, Chase." She snapped. I frowned.

"What?" I asked, confused. She sighed.

"His parents died in a car accident a couple of months before he came here. He's living with his new foster parents, the Dores." She informed me. "That's why I wanted you to stop asking questions about them. Seriously, how would you feel?"

I sighed. Okay, maybe I shouldn't have started interrogating the guy like that. But something about him seemed off. Really off. And I did not like it one bit. "I don't think you should hang out with him."

Calla stared at me, frowning. "Sorry, what did you say? I think I must have misheard you."

"I said I don't think you should hang out with him." I repeated. She stared at me and opened her mouth to argue, but I didn't give her the chance. "Look Cal, there's something wrong about him. He gives me this really bad feeling."

"And that gives you the right to tell me who I should and shouldn't hang out with?" Calla asked, her voice cold and serious. I gulped. That was never a good sign. A deadly serious Calla was twice as frightening as a shouting Calla.

"Remember when Marcus gave you the heebie-jeebies? You told me not to hang out with him then, and I still regret not listening to you." I reminded her. She looked at me and I could tell that she was seriously pissed off at me now.

"A, you should because you kinda implied that I was crazy,." She snapped. "And I can make my own decisions, Chase!"

"I'm just trying to protect you!" I retorted. She laughed darkly.

"Really? What it looks like to me is that you just hate all my friends!" She growled. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, that's an exaggeration." I told her. She looked at me, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Is it? Right now, the only friends I have that aren't part of your crazy family are Caleb, Kieran, and Kaitlin. Let's see…You don't like Kaitlin. That…okay, that I can understand. You hate Caleb, whom you promised to try and get along with. And now you hate Kieran, and you barely know him. The only people you don't have a problem with me hanging out with are you, your family, and Jaden!"

"Calla…" I began, attempting to reason with her. She needed to understand that I wasn't trying to control her or anything, that I was just worried about her. She didn't give me the chance to explain though.

"Don't bother Chase." She growled. "I'm going to be friends with whomever I please, and you don't get to have a say, got it?"

She didn't wait for my response. Instead, she spun on her heel and stormed back into Study Hall. I groaned, leaning against the door. That could have gone a lot better.

** Kieran's POV **

"So are you sure it's cool for me to come over and check out your new invention?" I questioned, walking alongside Calla. I knew she'd gotten in a pretty bad argument with her boyfriend earlier and since I suspected that I was at least part of the reason they'd been angry at each other, I didn't want to get in the middle of it. Calla sighed.

"It's fine, Kieran. Like I said, it's my decision who my friends are." She replied, shouldering her backpack. I shrugged.

"Okay. Oh, did you see that van outside the school when we left?" I questioned. She nodded.

"Yeah, so?" She asked. I grinned.

"It didn't have a license plate. That's weird, isn't it?" I continued. She shrugged.

"Yeah, I suppose. But maybe he's just waiting on a custom one to come in or something. Either way, it's not really our business, right?"

I shrugged. "Good point. But you have to admit, it is weird."

"Agreed." She nodded. She smiled at me. "Now come on. I want to show you my invention!"

"So what is this invention?" I questioned.

"Yeah, what invention?" We both turned to see Chase walking up behind us. Calla raised an eyebrow.

"Hi." She greeted, her tone cold. Chase winced at her tone, and I didn't blame him. Calla sure seemed scary when she was mad.

"So, what's the invention?" He asked again, although hesitantly.

"One of my new ones. Why?" Calla demanded. Chase sighed.

"You're still mad." He observed. Calla rolled her eyes.

"No shit, Sherlock." She muttered. Chase shook his head at her.

"I'm not taking back what I said." He told her. They both turned on each other, clearly having forgotten that I was here. Which was okay. I didn't want to get dragged into this.

"You know what? I'll just go." I announced, turning around. I started to head the other way when something caught my eye. A large black van was driving behind us, way too slowly to be normal. For a second I thought maybe they were lost and had slowed down to ask for directions. Then I noticed the lack of license plate. With a start, I realized that it was the same van from the school. But there was nothing on this road except for a few houses. Why would it be following us? Oh crap. It was following us.

"Oh, crap." I muttered, looking around. There was no one else out here, except for the van, Calla, Chase, and I. The van continued to drive slowly towards us, creeping closer and closer to the curb. I gulped, then ran towards my friends. Calla and Chase were standing in the middle of the sidewalk arguing, completely oblivious to the van. I grabbed them by their shoulders and pushed them forward, walking briskly behind them.

"We're kinda in the middle of-" Chase started to tell me, but I didn't give him the chance.

"Hey, you remember that van without a licence plate, right?" I asked, cutting Chase off. Calla looked at me.

"Yeah, why?" She asked. I glanced over my shoulder. The van was gaining ground.

"It's following us." I told them. Both geniuses narrowed their eyes at me, then glanced over their shoulders.

"Chase, he's right." Calla told him. He nodded.

"Alright. Relax. It'll be fine." He assured us, pulling out his phone. "I'll call Adam and Bree. They'll be over here in a few-" The van took that opportunity to speed up, then skid to a stop in front of us at the end of the sidewalk. "-seconds."

"Run for it!" I shouted. Neither Calla nor Chase had to be told twice. We bolted in the other direction, glancing over our shoulders. Three men ran out, carrying something in their hands. At first I thought they were guns, but I wasn't so sure.

"Bree? Track my phone, NOW!" I heard Chase shout into his cell. Unfortunately for us, the van started up again, heading our way while there were still men behind us. "We've got a-AH!"

Chase dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. It looked as if he'd been…tasered. That's what the men had. Not guns, but tasers. "Chase!" Calla screamed, seeing him in pain. She spun around to run back to him and I saw one of the men pull out another taser.

"Move!" I ordered, pushing her out of the way just as the man shot it. I let out a gasp as I felt my muscles freeze in place and groaned as my head hit the ground. I heard Calla shout and saw one of the men grab her from behind. He held some sort of cloth over her mouth, not moving it as she struggled to free herself.

Just as her movements started to get more and more sluggish, I heard a man's voice. "Hey, this one's still awake." There was a sudden blow to my head, and everything went dark.

** Xxx **

I groaned, forcing open my eyes. I had another headache. Wonderful. Not just that, but I also happened to be tied to a chair with my hands cuffed behind my back.

"Kieran? You alive back there?" I heard Calla's voice come from behind me. I turned my aching head as much as I could and saw that she was tied in a chair right behind me. Chase was sitting across from both of us in a similar set up. The only difference was that his handcuffs were larger and glowed blue. I instantly knew that they were used to block his bionics, although how I knew such information eluded me.

"Yeah, still breathing. You okay?" I asked, craning my head back as far as I could. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. They drugged me instead of tasing me. Not sure if I should be relieved at that, or freaked out at the fact that we've been freaking kidnapped!" She growled the last bit, letting a little bit of her anger show. Chase cleared his throat, getting my attention.

"What about you? That looks like a nasty cut on your forehead." He commented. I nodded, wincing at the pain.

"Yeah, someone decided it was a good idea to kick me in the head." I replied. He frowned.

"Are you alright?" He asked. I might have imagined it, but there was a hint of concern in his voice. I smirked.

"I thought you didn't like me." I teased. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a total ass." He muttered, glaring at me. I smiled at him.

"I'm okay, thanks." I replied. I looked around. "So, who are the dudes who took us?"

"Not sure yet." Chase replied. "I can't use my bionics – that's what these special handcuffs are for. They're-"

"Bionic disruptors, I know." I cut him off before he could give us all a long and boring lecture on the things. Usually, I wouldn't be so rude, but I wasn't in the best of moods. Chase narrowed his eyes at me.

"How do you know what they are?" He questioned, using the same suspicious tone as before. I frowned, unable to answer him. How DID I know that?

"Is now really the time for this, Chase?" Calla growled. "Let's just get out of here already!"

"And I suppose you have a brilliant plan?" He demanded. She narrowed her eyes at him, but was silent. "Well?"

"I'm working on it." She growled. He nodded.

"Working on it." He repeated, slightly upset. "That's great, Calla. That's really great. While you do that, we'll do something useful."

"Guys!" I exclaimed, cutting off Calla's very un-ladylike response. "Save the couple stuff for later. Live in the moment and at the moment, we're in some pretty deep guano."

"You can say that again kid." We all looked towards the door of our little cell as a man walked in. He was tall, with blond hair and cold silver-blue eyes. Three masked men followed him.

"Who the hell are you?" Chase growled, glaring at him.

"Actually Chase, can we skip the introductions and skip right to the part where you kick their asses?" Calla questioned, eyes narrowing at the men. The man chuckled and pulled out a phone. He smirked as he looked through it.

"Chase Michael Davenport, bionic super soldier. You're famous kid, but more importantly, your daddy's a pretty rich man – I suspect he'll pay quite a large ransom for you."

"Wait, this is all because he's famous?" I demanded, wide eyed. The man didn't answer, but his silence gave me his answer. "Hey Calla? No offense, but I'm not liking your boyfriend very much right now."

"Yeah, I'm not liking him too much right now either." She agreed. The man's gaze fixated on her.

"You're Calla Alexandria Parker." He noted. She tensed up slightly, then raised her head to look at him defiantly.

"Who are you and how do you know who I am?" She challenged. Damn, that girl was brave.

The man chuckled. "The name's Damian Hood." He introduced. "As for you, you're Calla Parker, personal assistant to Donald Davenport – the mastermind behind the bionic weapons. Not to mention, you're one of Mission Creek's brightest minds. I'm sure your boss wouldn't want to lose you. I'd bet that he'd pay pretty high for you too."

Calla glared at him, but didn't say another word. Then Damian turned to me. "And you're some random kid. We don't need you."

I gulped nervously. Usually, when a bad guy who's kidnapped you decides that you're not useful, they put a bullet in your head. And as pleasant as that sounds, it's not something I'd like to experience.

"What do you want us to do with him?" One of his side-kicks demanded.

"He works for Mr. Davenport too!" Calla exclaimed suddenly. Damian looked at her in disbelief, but I nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, I do." I agreed. He crossed his arms.

"Really? And what exactly do you do?" He questioned. I panicked for a moment, then noticed that Chase was mouthing two words at me.

"Mission Specialist." I repeated. I looked at the men. "I'm the Mission Specialist."

"Well?" Damian glanced at his right-hand man. The guy checked his phone.

"It does say that Davenport has a Mission Specialist. Doesn't say who though." The guy informed Damian. He nodded.

"Alright. We'll set the ransom at 5 million. 3 for the bionic, 1 for each of the assistants." He decided. They nodded and all the men left us alone, although judging by the shadows under the door, there was at least two of them guarding us.

"That was some fast thinking, Calla." I commented. "Thanks."

"No prob." She breathed in response. She looked at Chase. "I hope you have a plan, Boy Wonder."

"I'm working…shut up." He growled, noticing the expressions on her face. "Look, Mr. Davenport knows we're in trouble. He'll send Adam, Bree, and-"

Calla coughed loudly then and he broke off, looking as if she'd just stopped him from saying something he shouldn't. Clearly, the bionics still had some secrets that they didn't want the world to know yet. "And our secret weapon." He finished, looking at her. I could see that some sort of silent conversation was going on between the two of them.

I would have smiled had the situation been different. It was kinda sweet that they could communicate so well without having to speak. It really showed how close they were.

"So your brother and sister are going to save our butts?" I confirmed. They both nodded. "Alright, how long is that going to take?"

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion outside the door and a fist-shaped dent appeared in the door. "Not very long." Chase reasoned, glancing at it. Seconds later, the door opened and Bree and Leo ran in. I frowned; why would they bring the Leo one with them? He wasn't bionic and could get hurt.

"Calla, Chase, are you okay?" Bree demanded, super-speeding to her brother's side. She pulled out what looked like a small screwdriver and began to work on removing his handcuffs. She glanced at me. "What's he doing here?"

"He was kidnapped alongside us." Calla explained, smiling at her. Leo ran over and began to unlock my handcuffs. "And what took you guys so long?"

Leo chuckled. "We could just leave you here." He pointed out. She laughed.

"You wouldn't dare!" She exclaimed, standing up as she was released. She rubbed her wrists and looked at Bree. "Adam dealing with Damian and his men?"

Bree nodded quickly, still focused on Chase's. Apparently his were taking longer because they were specially designed to counter-act his bionics. Meanwhile, Leo was almost done uncuffing me. "Yes, there's more men than we thought though. At least a dozen, and they're all armed with both guns and tasers." She replied.

"Yeah, we know about the tasers." Chase muttered. I stood up and looked at them.

"Wait, a dozen? He only had four when he came in here." I frowned in confusion. Leo shrugged.

"He must have had more outside. Let's go!" He exclaimed as Chase and Calla were finally released. But the second we made it out the door, we realized how difficult escape was going to be.

** Chase's POV **

"Oh crap." I muttered, realizing how dangerous the situation was. We were evidently in some sort of warehouse and had been being kept in an office-turned-prison-cell. There were large crates everywhere. Adam was doing his best to deal with the armed guards, but there was so many of them, and now they had their sights focused on us.

"Don't let them escape! Three bionic kids are worth more than one!" I heard Damian shout. Several of his men turned towards us, his weapons ready. Instinctively, I raised my shield around us. It ended up being a good idea as many of them shot in the same moment I did. The bullets bounced off the force field harmlessly.

"What's the escape plan?" I demanded, glancing back at the others. Leo and Bree looked like they were fine, but Calla and Kieran looked very freaked out. And why shouldn't they? Kieran had probably never been in any sort of danger before in his life and even though Calla had seen quite a few life-threatening situations with us, she had always been pretty scared of guns. It's one of the reasons she built her Paragun – it wasn't as lethal as most weapons.

"There's a fire exit in the south-west corner." Bree replied, backing away from the edge of the shield. I followed her gaze towards it. I could see the little red sign above an ordinary brown door. The only problem was that we'd have to get past all these men first.

"What about Mom? Have you called her yet?" Calla asked. I started to back up, the gunmen's constant shooting starting to tire me out. Bree nodded, almost too fast to see.

"Yeah, she's got a squad on the way. Jaden's at our place." She replied. I nodded.

"Hey Adam!" I called. He was backed near the far corner. For once, he was being smart. Instead of fighting them from a distance, he was getting in close to his enemy so they wouldn't have the room to shoot. It seemed to be working for him. "Blast wave on three!"

I saw him nod to acknowledge me, then I looked at the others. "When I say three, Adam's going to use his blast wave. That should give us enough time to run out of here. Stay close and don't get killed." I ordered. "One! Two! Three!"

Adam's blast wave came right in time. The strength of the blow knocked most of the men off their feet and we made a run for it. We were almost at the door when a few of them managed to get up.

"Shit!" I swore, ducking as a bullet went right over my head. I pushed the door open with my telekinesis and motioned towards it. "Everyone out! NOW!"

I threw my shield up again to protect our escape route. The others dodged bullets at they ran towards me. Bree, Leo and Adam made it out the door and Calla and her new little friend would be safe soon too.

"Whoa!" Calla exclaimed suddenly, leaping back as she was nearly hit in the leg. "Watch it, moron!"

Then everything seemed to go in slow motion. My eyes widened as I saw what Calla clearly didn't. A single bullet, standing out from the rest. It was heading right for her head. If it hit her…

"CALLA!" I screamed desperately, trying to warn her. She frowned and began to turn, but it was too late. It was going to kill her and there was nothing I could do!

** Kieran's POV **

"CALLA!" Chase screamed suddenly. I didn't know why he shouted, but I instinctively knocked the girl to the ground, both of us tumbling behind a large crate.

"AH!" She screamed, clutching her shoulder. Then I realized what had happened. Chase had been trying to warn her about an oncoming bullet. Judging by the look of pure terror in his eyes, it had been about to kill her. By pushing her out of the way, I'd ensured that instead of hitting her in the head, the bullet had just grazed her shoulder.

"You okay?" I hissed, pushing myself off of her. She clenched her eyes close, clearly in pain, but nodded anyway.

"Ow. Fuck. I'm. Ow. Fine." She managed through clenched teeth.

"Hey boss! I think you hit the girl!" I heard one of the men shout.

"Forget her! Get the non-damaged ones!" Damian shouted back. A surge of anger went through me. Damian, the bastard who kidnapped us, had shot Calla. The first person to even talk to me since I'd come to Mission Creek. No way in hell was he going to get away with that.

"Calla!" I heard Chase's desperate shout. There was agony in his voice. Calla struggled to sit up, breathing heavy as she tightened her grip on her injured shoulder. Already blood was squeezing out through her fingers.

"Chase!" I called back for her, poking my head out from behind the box. He and Damian were the only guys left, all the others having either fled or been knocked unconscious. Damian looked around, realizing that he was the only one left, then ran for the door. I was not going to let him get away that easily after hurting my friend. Chase started after him, but I called him back. The bionic glanced at me, a hopeful expression in his eyes. "You deal with her, I'll deal with him!"

Without waiting for an answer, I sprinted after Damian. I followed him out through another emergency exit (or maybe this was the main entrance, either way, I didn't care) and onto the street. The sound of police sirens filled the air. He spun around, realizing it was hopeless and pointed his gun at me. I raised my hands to show him I was unarmed.

"Give up." I suggested. "Killing me will only make things worse."

Damian sneered. "You're pretty brave to follow me out here. Stupid, but brave."

"You hurt one of my best friends. I couldn't let you get away with that." I replied, eyes darting towards the door. Clearly, I hadn't thought this through. I was just a kid. What could I possibly do, aside from get myself killed?

Damian just laughed. "What are you going to do? Pick up a gun and shoot me?"

"No. but I'd love to see you get arrested for that." I snapped. "You shot the police chief's daughter; I doubt they're going to go easy on you."

His eyes narrowed. "Then I don't have anything to lose." And he pulled the trigger.

"No!" I shouted, raising my hands to my head. I knew they wouldn't do much in protection, but it was the best I had. My eyes slid shut, waiting for shot to come. It never did. I opened my eyes hesitantly, trying to figure out what had happened. What I saw only confused me.

Damian, his gun, and the bullet were floating midair. And not just like when Chase uses his telekinesis. They were floating as if they were in space, as if there was no gravity around them. I frowned, not yet dropping my hands, and looked around. I was the only one around.

"How are you doing that?" Damian demanded, trying to reach for his gun. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't reach it. I stared at the scene, wide-eyed.

"I'm not…I don't…how…" I dropped my hands and the gravity returned. Damian fell to the ground, hitting his head on the ground. He lay there, unmoving, but I was too shocked to care. I stared at my hands, trying to comprehend what was going on. Somehow, I'd removed the gravity around him. But how? I wasn't special. I wasn't bionic. I'd never done anything like this before…had I?

I tried to think, I really did. Had I used this ability before? An image flashed across my mind. I was standing in a dark room, all by myself except for one girl. The girl was shorter than me, with long soft brown hair and hazel eyes. For some reason, she seemed familiar.

Before I could ponder as to who she was or what the hell was happening, pain erupted in my head. It was like my previous headaches, but worse. Much, much worse. Too much to bear. The world seemed to spin for a moment, then I lost all track of time.

** Chase's POV **

"Calla!" I shouted, running to where Kieran had pushed her. She was okay, she had to be. She had to be alright.

"Chase." She moaned as I rounded the corner. She was propped up against the crate, breathing heavily. I let out a sigh of relief (for a second, I'd thought I'd lost her) and knelt down in front of her.

"Where are you hurt?" I demanded. She grimaced.

"Shoulder." She whimpered. A whimper. Calla never whimpered. Ever. I glanced at her shoulder and saw her partially red hand covering it. I grabbed her by her good arm and hauled her to her feet as gently as I could. She let out a cry, but was able to walk.

"You're going to be okay." I murmured, slipping my other hand around her waist to keep her from falling. She didn't answer, instead leaning her head against my shoulder. The second we exited the building, we were met by Bree.

"Guys, the cops just arrive…oh my God, Calla." She stared at her best friend, wide-eyed. I glared at her.

"Unless you're helping, Bree, get out of our way." I growled. My sister looked at me, then sped off.

"Cops? That means Mom." Calla murmured. I nodded encouragingly.

"Yeah, your mom's coming. Don't you worry." I assured her. I looked around for one of the officers. "Hey! We could use some help over here!"

One of them, Sanjay I think, ran over and helped me guide Calla to a car. He handed me a cloth as she sat down in the front seat. "Put pressure on her wound." He ordered before grabbing his radio. He started speaking into it, asking for an ambulance.

I did as he asked, trying to ignore the pained whimper that escaped my girlfriend as I put pressure on her blood shoulder. "You're going to be fine." I whispered to her. She nodded, then looked around.

"What happened to Damian?" She muttered, trying to spot him in the back of one of the cars. "I didn't see."

"Kieran went after him." I replied. Her eyes widened and she stared at me. "Calla?"

"You let him go after Damian alone?" She whispered, shocked. I nodded. "Are you crazy, Chase?"

"He's fine." I brushed her fears aside. She was still looking at me as if I was psycho.

"I'm sorry, but you let a fifteen year old kid, who's NOT bionic, go after an armed gunman?" She demanded. I suddenly felt guilty. "You're supposed to be the smart one!"

"I kinda had bigger things to worry about. Namely, you!" I objected. She looked like she was about to argue (only Calla could argue with someone after being shot) when her mom ran up.

"Oh God, sweetie are you alright?" Officer Parker demanded, pushing me out of the way. Not that I minded – Calla was more important anyway.

"Ow, Mom, watch the shoulder." Calla groaned as her mother hugged her.

"Oh, my sweet Calla Lily." She murmured. Calla groaned again, although this one seemed to be from annoyance rather than pain.

"I thought we'd agreed that you would stop calling me that." She murmured. Officer Parker let out a soft laugh, then looked at Officer Sanjay.

"James and Bert have got the prisoner in custody. Have you called an ambulance yet?" She demanded. Sanjay nodded.

"Yes m'am. They're on their way." To his credit, he ignored the anger in her tone. It was better not to upset a momma bear when one of her cubs was hurt – Tasha taught us all that a long time ago.

"Tell them we're going to need a second one." She instructed. Sanjay frowned, so she elaborated. "We've got more than one injured kid."

"Kieran?" I questioned, feeling guilty again. She nodded and Calla looked up at her.

"Is he okay?" She demanded. Officer Parker shrugged.

"He's unconscious, but I'd say he's fine." She replied.

"But you're not a doctor." Calla pointed out. Her mom nodded.

"And that's why I'm having one look at him, okay? I'm sure he'll be fine." She assured her daughter. Calla sighed and looked down, refusing to meet my gaze. I sighed as well. Even if Kieran was okay, she was going to kill me later for letting one of her friends – one she knew I didn't like – get injured.

** Calla's POV **

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I asked, poking my head into the visitor's room. Kieran was the only one left there, still waiting for his foster dad to pick him up. He shrugged, passing a bag of Tylenol between his hands.

"Fine. The doctors think I just fainted due to shock. The Tylenol's for my headaches." He replied. He gestured at the thick bandages on my shoulder. 'You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It was just a graze. The doctor, I think his name is Jamie or something, gave me some pretty heavy-duty painkillers, but I'm free to go home as soon as my mom signs some papers. Good thing too – I've got school in the morning."

Kieran's lips twisted upwards in a smirk. "I think getting kidnapped and shot gives you the right to miss school for one day."

I shrugged, then instantly regretted the motion as pain shot through my shoulder. "Ow. Shrugging – bad idea. But I LIKE school, remember? I get to show off my big brain."

Kieran chuckled. "Quick question – do those painkillers have any side effects? Like making you act crazy?"

I thought about it. They probably did. But I wasn't acting crazy. "Speaking of crazy, what were you thinking going after Damian alone?"

"He hurt one of my friends." Kieran claimed grumpily. I laughed.

"Okay, I suppose protecting me is a decent excuse. But don't do something stupid like that again." I ordered. Seriously, I hated it when anyone put themselves in danger for me. Chase did it enough as it was – I didn't need some other idiot doing it too.

"Yes m'am." Kieran agreed, rubbing his head. I looked over my shoulder to see that my mom was almost done going through my papers. I sat down next to Kieran.

"Okay, no one will tell me anything, which is annoying. What happened to Damian?" I demanded. Kieran frowned.

"He got arrested." He replied, stating the obvious. I rolled my eyes.

"He was unconscious when they found him. What happened to him?" I repeated my question.

Kieran sighed. "I'm sorry, Calla. I don't remember anything aside from running after him." He apologized. I frowned.

"Nothing?" I questioned. He nodded.

"One minute I'm running after him, the next I'm waking up in the back of an ambulance." He replied. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I was just curious." I assured him.

"Calla." I looked up to see my mom standing by the door. "Chase is outside."

"I've got to go." I told Kieran. He smirked.

"Kiss your boyfriend goodnight for me." He teased. I pushed him playfully before getting up and heading out the door. Chase was indeed waiting for me. He was pacing the steps impatiently, glancing at the door every few seconds. His entire face lit up when he saw me.

"Calla!" He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw me, pulling me into his arms. "Don't scare me like that again."

"I'll be in the car." Mom called to me, giving us some alone time.

I nodded and pushed away from him. "You okay?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You're okay." He murmured the last part, as if he was still trying to convince himself of it. "That's the most important part."

"Why aren't you at home? Or inside the waiting room?" I questioned. "Do we really want another kidnapping?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. Tasha's only a couple of minutes away." He assured me. I frowned.

"And what's wrong with the waiting room?" I inquired. Chase wouldn't meet my gaze, so I knew he was avoiding something. "Chase."

"I didn't like being in there with him." He muttered. I put my good hand on my hip, knowing exactly who 'he' was.

"Why not? What do you have against Kieran?" I demanded. Chase sighed and crossed his arms.

"There's something not right about him, Cal." He told me. "Seriously, he's just…wrong."

"Wrong." I repeated. Chase nodded.

"Yeah, there's something about him that doesn't seem right. He's keeping something from us – I can feel it." He insisted.

"He saved my life, Chase!" I exclaimed. Chase gave me a look. It wasn't his usual, give-me-a-break look. No, it was his how-can-you-be-that-stupid look that he usually reserved only for Adam and occasionally Leo.

"And then he randomly passes out after chasing the guy who tried to kill you? Does that make any sense to you? At all?" He demanded.

"The poor boy was traumatized!" I argued. Chase shook his head at me.

"He claims that he doesn't remember what happened to Damian, but the guy was knocked out cold, Calla! Cracked skull! How did that happen?" Chase questioned. I shrugged one shoulder.

"How am I supposed to know?" I questioned. Chase sighed.

"You need to stop hanging out with him, Calla." He told me. I opened my mouth to tell him to shut up, but he didn't give me the chance. "I'm serious Calla. He's bad news."

"How is the guy who just SAVED MY LIFE bad news?" I demanded, thinking that Chase had finally lost it. He glared at me.

"He just is." He growled. I laughed darkly.

"Like Caleb is?" I inquired. Chase nodded.

"Yeah, like Caleb is. Seriously Calla, you make the worst choices possible for your friends. First there's the psycho, Kaitlin. Then there's that asshole Caleb. And then there's Kieran, whom you know nothing about, yet you seem to trust him as much as the rest of us!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, so they're bad news simply because you don't like them?" I questioned.

"Yes, Calla! They are!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "So stop being so stupid and just listen to me for once!"

There was a moment of stunned silence as we both processed what he just said. Chase paled.

"Calla, I didn't-" I shook my head.

"Oh, shut up, Chase!" I shouted back, angry tears coming to my eyes. "I'm sick and tired of you telling me what to do lately!"

"Calla-" Chase tried to explain himself, but I wasn't done speaking.

"No! I'm serious, Chase. You don't get to control me! I make my own decisions on what I do, who I hang out with and who I…" I broke off, trying to make the right decision. After everything that had happened to the two of us, was I really going to do this? Had Chase finally crossed that line? Was I really ready to say that it was over?

"And who I what, Calla?" Chase questioned, his tone angry. I looked at him, praying that I looked as angry as I felt.

"And who I'm with. And after today…" I let out an angry breath. "After today, I'm done."

"Done?" Chase repeated, confused. "Done with what?"

"Done with you." I told him, staring him straight in the eyes. "We're through, Chase. I'm breaking up with you."

I started to storm off to my mom's car, but Chase grabbed my good arm to stop me. "Calla, I-"

"No, don't bother." I snapped, not turning to face him. "Goodbye Chase."

I pulled my arm out of his reach and walked away, still not entirely sure if I'd made the right decision.


	5. Spike Fight

** Chase's POV **

Okay, when Calla broke up for me, I thought it was just because she was upset and emotional and still freaked out about what happened. I mean, who could blame her? I figured that as soon as she calmed down, she would realize that she'd made a mistake and come back to me. Evidently, I was wrong.

Three days later and Calla still wasn't talking to me. Whenever she was down in the lab working, she'd completely ignore me, but chat happily with Adam, Bree, and Leo. She wasn't returning any of my calls or texts, and she was hanging out with Kieran and Caleb even more than usual. Heck, she'd even gone as far as to pick Adam over me to be her partner for the new science project. Adam, of all people!

"She chose Adam?" Jaden demanded, sitting down next to Bree at the lunch table. I nodded and glanced over my shoulder to look at Calla's table. She was sitting there with Kieran and Caleb, laughing at something the latter said.

"Yep." Adam confirmed, grinning. "I'm totally going to get an A."

"That's only because she's likely going to do all the work for you." Leo reminded him. He nodded.

"I know, isn't it great?" He asked, taking a bite of his burger. I groaned in defeat.

"She hates me." I complained. Jaden shook his head.

"My sister doesn't hate you." He assured me. "Trust me on that."

"How would you know?" I questioned, looking at him. Jaden smirked.

"When someone Calla hates pisses her off, she's only upset for a couple of hours before she moves on. She claims that they're not worth her anger. But when someone she cares about upsets her, she'll stay mad at them for a long, LONG time." He explained. I nodded thoughtfully. That sounded like my Calla.

"You're sure?" I asked, just to be sure. Jaden nodded.

"Yeah. I remember one time I accidently let my pet tarantula get loose in her bedroom and she gave me the silent treatment for an entire two weeks." He replied. Bree frowned.

"You have a pet tarantula?" She questioned. Jaden shook his head.

"Not anymore. Mom made me give it away years ago." He replied. She laughed.

"Aww, but we could have so much fun with it. I guess we'll have to settle for Glitch." Bree sighed, not unhappily. She adored that dog more than words could say. "You're coming over later to help me give him a bath, right?"

Jaden nodded eagerly. "Yes, but I'm telling you now that I'm probably going to push you into the water."

"Oh, really?" She questioned, smirking deviously at them. By that point, I wasn't particularly listening anymore. They were a good couple and all, but I didn't really need to hear all the flirty stuff right now. So, I turned to the only other one of us without a girlfriend – Adam.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, noticing how he kept glancing at someone over my shoulder.

"That girl, Sabrina, keeps checking me out." He commented. Leo looked over my head to take a look.

"She's cute – you should ask her out." He suggested. Adam shrugged.

"Nah. I'm not sure I want a new girl so soon after Jessica." He replied. His eyes widened a bit. "She's coming over. Hey Sabrina."

A pretty blonde girl walked up, smiling. "Hey Adam." She turned to me. "Hey Chase."

"Hi?" I replied, wondering where this was going. Most girls didn't talk to me unless they were one of Calla's friends or they wanted an autograph.

"I wanted to talk to you about our chemistry project." She continued. I nodded. Ah yes, this had happened hundreds of times before.

"Sure, I'll do it for you." I agreed. "Just give me your email. I'll send it to you when I'm done."

She laughed lightly. "No, I want to do the project with you." I choked on my drink, surprised. "I need a partner, and Calla Parker's doing hers with Adam, I figured we could do it together."

Everyone at the table seemed stunned, while my mind was racing. Usually, I would say no. I mean, Calla was my partner in crime. Why would I work with anyone else? It just seemed unnatural, and to be honest, quite redundant.

But this was also an opportunity. I mean, how would Calla feel about me hanging out with other girls? I knew how badly she reacted to Skylar, maybe Sabrina would make her jealous too. Maybe she'd get jealous enough to want me back!

"Chase, this is when you speak." Bree said, dragging me out of my thoughts. I must not have spoken for a bit, because everyone was looking at me expectantly.

I looked back at Sabrina, then glanced at Calla's table. To my satisfaction, she was glancing our way, having noticed Sabrina's approach. "Yeah, that sounds great." I agreed, loud enough for most of the people in the cafeteria to hear. "Would you like to meet at my house after school?"

"Perfect." Sabrina grinned before walking back to her table. I grinned broadly, quite pleased with myself. Calla was going to be at our house later – she might be mad at me, but she still had to work – so it would only be a matter of time before she got frustrated with seeing me with Sabrina. We'd be back together before no time.

"Chase, really?" Adam looked at me, a disapproving look on his face. I smirked.

"Really." I replied, grabbing my stuff. I started to walk away, but not before saying hello to Calla.

"Hey Calla, don't worry about us not being partners." I told the brunette as I passed her table. "I think I found your replacement."

"Good for you, Chase." She replied, her tone cold. Yep, this plan was going to work like a charm.

** Xxx **

"Hey, Mr. Davenport!" I called, running into the lab. I found him working at the main consol, likely doing repairs after Adam broke it yesterday.

"Oh, hi Chase. How was school?" He inquired, not glancing up.

"Great, I need a favour." I replied, getting straight to the point. That caused him to look at me.

"I'm not giving you money." He growled. I frowned.

"It has nothing to do with money." I assured him. He sighed in relief.

"Leo and Bree have been beginning me for money all week." He explained, leaning against the consol. "So what can I do for you?"

"Calla can't be allowed to work in the lab tonight." I replied. He frowned, so I elaborated. "I need her to work on the main floor."

"Why?" Mr. Davenport questioned. I shrugged unhelpfully and he raised an eyebrow. "Wait, this isn't an attempt to get her back, is it?"

I nodded guiltily. "Alright, sure. I'll tell her the lab is off limits." He agreed. I looked at him, pleased but surprised.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded, going back to his work on the consol.

"You've both been off your game since your break up and I need my top two geniuses at their best." He told me. I raised an eyebrow, knowing that he was trying to hide the fact that he actually cared. I sighed.

"Thanks Mr. Davenport!" I called over my shoulder as I ran upstairs to get ready for my date.

** Adam's POV **

"What do you mean I'm not allowed in the lab?" I heard Calla demand as I walked into my house. Mr. Davenport was standing in front of the lab doors, his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry Calla. I need to do a bacteria sweep. Adam," he nodded at me, "brought his mouldy gym socks back and if any of that bacteria gets into the inventions, it will cause all sorts of problems."

Calla groaned in frustration. "Is there anywhere else I can work then? I won't be able to work out here with Chase and Sabrina chatting all night."

"Sabrina?" Mr. Davenport repeated. I nodded, stepping in.

"She's Chase's new science partner." I explained. He nodded, a look of understand crossing his face. I think we all knew exactly what was going through Chase's tiny pea-sized head. But still, Mr. Davenport wouldn't back down.

"I'm sorry Calla. I'll let you leave an hour early though, if you wish." He offered. She glowered at him, but nodded.

"Fine. Whatever." She tossed her backpack onto the kitchen counter and I sat down next to her.

"Chase wants to make you jealous." I informed her. She nodded.

"Yes Adam, I know." She agreed. She groaned again. "I swear sometimes, that boy makes me so…"

She broke off, annoyed. Then sighed. "So, if I'm gonna be stuck up here, do you want to work on our science project? I ain't doing all the work."

I nodded. "Alright."

It wasn't because I wanted to work on the project. I really didn't, and I was fairly confident that no matter what Calla says, she was going to do all the work anyway. But I wasn't going to stand by and let Chase be mean to Calla by trying to make her jealous. He was always going on about what was right and wrong and now he was being a total…um…he was doing the opposite of what he said.

** Chase's POV **

I beamed when Sabrina and I walked into the house to find Calla and Adam in the kitchen. Calla was working on some model volcano for their science project (Adam's idea, guaranteed) and my brother was doodling on a piece of paper.

"Oh, hi Adam and, uh, Calla, right?" Sabrina asked. They both glanced up at us.

"Yeah, hi." Calla greeted. Adam nodded at us, then pushed his picture towards Calla. She covered her mouth with her hand, giggling.

"Adam, that's mean!" She told him. I frowned.

"What is?" I asked. They both exchanged looks as Calla crumpled the paper.

"Nothing." They said in unison. Sabrina smiled and turned to me.

"So, project time?" She asked. I nodded and sat down in front of the living room table and opened my bag. She sat down next to me and we began to work. And by work, I mean I built a molecular model and did my best to flirt with Sabrina the entire time. But half an hour later, and it still seemed like Adam was the only person paying attention. Calla was completely tuning us out, much to my annoyance.

"I can't believe how fast you're put this molecular model together." Sabrina grinned at me.

"I can't believe Calla hasn't even said anything." I muttered. Sabrina looked at me.

"What?" she asked, confused. I smiled at her.

"I mean, I can't believe you're still here." I replied. She beamed.

"You know what I like about you?" She asked. "Besides being charming and funny?"

"Well, it would have to something else because it's neither of those." Adam called. I glared at him, then turned back to Sabrina.

"You're nice, polite, and even though you're bionic, you don't feel the need to impress me with your muscles." She said. That caught Calla's attention.

"Muscles?" She repeated before ducking her head, her body shaking as she laughed. Adam chuckled as well.

"He doesn't have any." He mentioned. I took a deep breath, then smiled at Sabrina.

"Will you excuse me for a second? I need to talk to my brother." I explained. She nodded and I grabbed Adam by the arm, dragging him into the hall, away from both of the girls.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. He crossed his arms and looked at me.

"I could ask you the same thing." He commented. I frowned.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"You're using Skylar to make Calla jealous." He growled. I nodded.

"Obviously." I replied. He rolled his eyes.

"That's wrong." He told me. I groaned.

"What I do is none of your business, so just leave it alone!" I snapped before walking back to Sabrina. "Sorry about Adam. What do you say we get back to our atom?"

She laughed, but I heard an annoyed groan in the background. I noticed Calla stand up. "Everything alright, Calla?" I asked. She faked a smile my way.

"Perfect. I just need to run out for a few moments to get some stuff from my place." She replied, in a falsely sweet voice. She looked at Adam. "Want to take a ten minute break?"

"Sure." He agreed. She nodded stiffly and walked out the door, slamming it as she left.

"I wonder what she's upset about." Sabrina wondered aloud. I smiled. My plan was totally working.

** Adam's POV **

I crossed my arms, glaring at the lab floor. This didn't make sense! Chase was supposed to be the nice and sensitive one! How was I the only one noticing how much he was hurting Calla?

"Hey Adam." Mr. Davenport greeted, walking into the lab. "Can you explain to me why Chase has a girl in the house? A girl that's not Calla?"

"He's trying to make Calla jealous." I explained. He nodded.

"Ah. Got it." He replied. "Still, how he convinced a real girl to come over is beyond me. I had to shake her hand to make sure she wasn't a hologram."

"I'm confused." I complained. Mr. Davenport looked at me.

"Since when is that new?" He questioned. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Alright, what's up?"

"Why does Chase get to hurt Calla like that?" I demanded. "I mean, you don't see me doing something like that to Jessica, so why should he be allowed to do that to her?"

Mr. Davenport seemed a little surprised by my outburst. "Wow, you're really upset they broke up, aren't you?"

"Well, Calla's supposed to be the sister-in-law that will give me money and encourage my dangerous pranks of awesomeness. I mean, she's already agreed to change our model volcano to a nacho cheese volcano." I replied. "Besides, she's family."

Mr. Davenport smiled. "Yeah, Calla is the only person who would encourage those stunts." He agreed. "But Adam, this is really none of our business."

"But it's not right!" I protested. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"I know, but Chase needs to figure that out for himself. Besides, for all we know, he'll get nervous and mess it up with both of them." He assured me. A light bulb went off above my head.

"That's right." I agreed, grinning. "He could get nervous and mess it up."

Mr. Davenport gave me a look. "Adam, don't get involved."

My smirk didn't fade. "Oh don't worry.  _I_  won't do anything."

I ran off then, ready to get rid of Sabrina in a very, very amusing way.

** Chase's POV **

"It's beautiful." Sabrina beamed, looking at our project in awe. "And it only took us four hours to finish it."

"Actually, it was three hours and forty-seven minutes. Or thirteen thousand, six hundred and twenty seconds." I added. She gave me a weird look and I sighed. Calla always found it amusing. "Four hours is good."

She laughed a little, nodding. Calla, meanwhile, groaned loudly to remind us both that she was in the room. I smiled at Sabrina.

"So, I'll see you at school on Monday?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, but I don't have to go home right away." Sabrina replied. I nodded.

"Oh, you want to do Monday's homework too." I realized. Sabrina shook her head.

"No, I was hoping I could just hang out." She told me. I nodded eagerly – this would drive Calla nuts.

"Yeah, hang out, sure. I keep forgetting that unlike a certain brunette, you actually like being around me." I replied. I glanced over at Calla to see her reaction. She had stopped what she was doing, but remained with her back towards me. Dang. I'd been hoping for something along the lines of 'Chase, I do like hanging out with you and I'm sorry I got mad at you for trying to protect me'.

Sabrina ignored my comment about Calla and sat down on the couch. I smiled at her. "I'll get us some snacks." I offered. She nodded and I ran off to the kitchen.

"Hey Calla, what do you think Sabrina would prefer? Doritos or pretzels?" I asked, grabbing the two bags out from the cupboard. Calla refused to look at me. "What? I thought we were done with the silent treatment."

"Hey Chase, how's it going?" Adam asked, stepping into the conversation. I opened my mouth to reply, but he didn't give me the chance. "Great. Give us a moment, Calla?"

He grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me into the hall. "Knock it off, Chase."

"Adam, this is none of your business." I snapped, looking back at the two lovely ladies. He nodded.

"It is when you hurt Calla." He argued. "The last person to hurt her really badly was Caleb. And I broke his nose."

I could tell that he was trying to threaten me while being subtle. But although I knew Adam adored Calla like a sister, he wouldn't actually break my nose. Besides, I wasn't hurting Calla. Just annoying her a bit. "Look Adam, I need to get Calla back."

"And this is the way to do it?" He countered. I nodded.

"It's the only thing I can think of that might send her back to me." I growled. He gave me a look and I sighed. "I can't lose her, Adam. Calla means everything to me."

I pushed away from him, grabbed the bag of Doritos, poured them in a bowl, and walked back over to Sabrina.

"What did Adam want?" She asked curiously. I shook my head.

"Nothing much." I replied, hoping Adam would just drop it. He didn't.

"Hey Sabrina!" Adam called cheerfully, entering the kitchen. He grabbed Calla by the arm and led her over to the living room. He pushed her onto the couch next to Sabrina. "Would you like to hear a story?"

Sabrina frowned, then glanced at Calla. She shrugged helplessly, just as confused as Sabrina. But I had a good idea where this was going and I didn't like it.

"No, she doesn't, Adam. Why don't you and Calla go finish your project?"

"Yes, let's." Calla agreed, starting to get up.

"Sit." Adam ordered, his tone leaving no room for discussion. Calla was too surprised by his tone to argue and sat back down, crossing her ankles. "Now Sabrina, are you aware that Chase and Calla used to go out?"

"You did?" Sabrina looked at the two of us. "I thought you were just best friends or something."

"Or something." I agreed, glaring at Adam. If he said what I thought he was going to say…

"Are you also aware that he only invited you over here to make her jealous? That's why he was being so nice to you and so mean to her." Adam continued. While Calla merely shook her head at my brother, Sabrina looked shocked and hurt.

"Chase, is this true?" She demanded.

"I…uh…" I trailed off. I hated being caught in a lie. Calla let out a sigh and stood up abruptly.

"You know what? I'm out of here. Adam, I will finish the project myself. All you have to do is show up when we present it on Monday. Sabrina, congrats on the A+ I'm sure you're going to get. Chase…" She gave me a look that was filled with disappointment, and something else I couldn't identify. I thought that maybe it was hurt, but Calla was tougher than letting a few little words hurt her, right? "Clearly, me continuing to work as Mr. Davenport's assistant is not going to work. First thing in the morning, I'm going to request a transfer to work in his main labs instead."

No. This was not how it was supposed to go down. Now Adam was all smug, Sabrina was upset, and by transferring to one of Mr. Davenport's labs, Calla was cutting me off completely. But I couldn't lose her! No…

I began to panic, my brain racing to find a solution. If this was math, I'd already have solved the problem. If this was an invention, I would have already fixed the malfunction. But this was Calla, the most confusion and complicated person I knew. What was I going to do?

Then, something happened. Evidently, my fear and panic at the thought of losing my Calla forever had activated my commando app. I saw the words COMMANDO APP ACTIVATED and then everything went black.

** Calla's POV **

I stood up, having had enough of all this.

"You know what? I'm out of here. Adam, I will finish the project myself. All you have to do is show up when we present it on Monday. Sabrina, congrats on the A+ I'm sure you're going to get. Chase…" I looked at Chase, hurt. I didn't think he would do something like this. I mean, I could understand why he would want to hurt me – I hurt him after all – but bringing Sabrina into this was just wrong. I took a deep breath, knowing that if I came to work here every day, things between us would only get worse. "Clearly, me continuing to work as Mr. Davenport's assistant is not going to work. First thing in the morning, I'm going to request a transfer to work in his main labs instead."

Chase stared at me for a moment, then at Sabrina, panic clear in his eyes. He'd been caught and he knew it. I had started to walk out when something in the atmosphere shifted. I could just feel that something was wrong.

"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU, GOLDILOCKS?!" I froze, recognizing Spike's voice instantly. As if tonight couldn't get any worse. I spun around to see Spike glaring at a very confused Sabrina. Adam, on the other hand, looked very, very pleased.

"He's back!" He sang in a low voice. Sabrina looked at him, confused.

"Who's back?" She asked, nervous. She looked at Spike. "What's going on?"

"Spike confused." Spike said. He looked at me. "You the one Spiky likey. Who's she?"

Evidently, Spike had not gotten the memo on the break up. Even better (note the sarcasm).

Spike let out a fearsome growl and flexed his muscles, clearly trying to seem impressive. Adam was chuckling to himself, while Sabrina looked pretty freaked out. I could remember a similar look on my face when I had my first ever encounter with Spike. Not fun.

"Sabrina?" I called, not wanting to draw Spike's attention to her. Normally, Chase would never hurt anyone, but Spike was a loose cannon. "You may want to back away."

"I don't underst-" She was cut off by Spike.

"I don't know which of you ladies lives here, but it could really do with a man's touch." He growled before grabbing one of the chairs and tossing it to the other side of the room. We all stared at him. "What's the matter?"

He stomped towards the fridge, ripping the door off and tossing it towards the chair. Then he proceeded to rip through the contents of the refridgerator to find something suitable to eat."

"What's wrong with him?" Sabrina demanded, watching as he threw random vegetables over his shoulder.

"What is wrong with him?" Adam laughed gleefully. "The guy is a total mess."

Sabrina didn't argue. "Adam!" I scolded before turning to the blonde haired girl. "It's a long story Sabrina, one we really don't have time for right now. All you need to know is that right now, Chase is not in control of his actions. Also, he will only answer to Spike."

"Why?" Sabrina demanded. Adam turned to look at me.

"C'mon, don't ruin this Calla. Let him make a fool of himself." He urged me. "He deserves it."

"HEY!" We all spun around at the sound of Spike's furious call. He pointed at Adam. "Back off, pretty boy! That's daddy's kitten!"

I wasn't sure whether to be flattered or offended. I blinked twice, trying to wrap my head around what was going on, then crossed my arms. "I ain't nobody's nothing, you got that Spiky?"

"Fiesty." Spike nodded, smirking. "You're cute when you're feisty."

I was a little too surprised to respond. I figured that once Chase realized we were over, Spike would too. That's how it should have worked, so why was he still acting as if he thought I was still his girl?

"I said, back off pretty boy." Spike growled to Adam, having noticed that Adam was still close to me. Adam stepped away and looked at Spike in amusement.

"Trust me, you don't want to do this." Adam advised.

"You're right." Spike agreed. "It'd be rude to make the ladies watch me rip out your intestines. Which is why we're going to do it over there!"

He looked past Adam and at me. "Check this out, toots. And other girl."

He grabbed Adam by the shirt, but the older boy raised a hand and laughed. No, Adam. You don't laugh at Spike. Not unless you'd like to wear your intestines as a headband. "You think you can throw me across the room?" Adam chuckled, clearly unaware of the warning look on my face. "Good luck with-" Spike threw Adam across the room, "-THAT!"

Sabrina gasped as Adam hit the ground with a groan. I just stared at Spike, not amused. He saw my frown then flexed, grinning as if he thought it would please me. It did not.

"Hey!" Adam jumped to his feet, angry. Spike spun around and charged at him. I grabbed Sabrina's arm.

"Now would be a good time to leave." I suggested. She nodded, but as we started to make our escape, a chair was thrown across the room.

"Don't leave yet, princess! The fun's just getting started!" Spike called after me. Sabrina glanced at me.

"They're not going to let us leave, are they?" She sounded scared. I let out an annoyed sigh and plopped myself down behind the safety of the couch.

"Nope, might as well get comfortable." I muttered, watching as the boys reached for the nearest and heaviest objects to throw at each other. Ten minutes later, and they'd need to replace the dining room table, all the chairs, the TV, Mr. Davenport's main floor desk chair, and several other household objects.

"Hey! Let's play catch!" Spike suggested, grabbing a plate. "I'll throw, and you catch – with your face!"

Adam ducked behind the wall seconds before the plate would have hit him. It flew past and crashed into the banister, as did all the other plates. Finally having enough, Adam shot a ray of heat vision at Spike.

Spike ducked under it, then threw a vase at Adam in retaliation. It missed and Adam sent another blast of heat vision Spike's way. He did a back flip over it, did a summersault on the ground, and grabbed a pan. He held it up just in time to block Adam's third round of heat vision. He hit Adam in the face with the frying pan, kicking him in the stomach, the hit him in the back with the frying pan once more.

"Ouch." I mumbled sympathetically as Adam stumbled back towards us. Spike didn't hesitate before charging at Adam and pinning him against the nearby wall. Adam tried to fight back, but Spike only lifted him off his feet.

"Guys, please stop!" Sabrina begged, although it was probably going to be in vain. "You're scaring me."

"Kinda with her on that one." I agreed. Spike glanced at me.

"Don't worry sweetheart, it will all be over soon. Unless you want him to suffer. Whatever the lady wants." He offered. I stared at him incredulously.

"Why couldn't you say something like that last week when we were fighting?" I questioned. He dropped Adam, then smashed a vase over said boy's back.

"Oh…okay. That hurt." Adam admitted, groaning in pain. Spike let out a growl, but Adam was the first to attack. I barely had time to jump out of the way as they both went tumbling over the couch. They rolled over, hitting the table that Chase and Sabrina's project was on.

"Don't break the molecule!" Sabrina pleaded. Both boys stopped and looked at it.

"That was close." Adam muttered. Spike nodded.

"Sure was." He agreed before grabbing the molecule and ripping it apart. We all watched, surprised. We didn't think Spike would ever purposefully destroy something of Chase's.

"No! Why would you do that?" Sabrina cried in despair.

"Relax blondie, I'll make you a new one. Out of his spine." Spike flexed again, but Sabrina was not interested in watching.

"You are so not who I thought you were." She stated before grabbing her bag. "I'm out of here."

She walked out the door. I sighed. If Sabrina went around the school, telling people that Chase was a monster, it would reflect badly upon everyone. Besides, he did not deserve to get hated for something that was Spike's fault.

"Adam," I turned to face the older boy. I gestured at the half-destroyed room. "Deal with this. I'm leaving."

"You'll come back!" Spike called after me as I opened the door. He looked at Adam. "They always come back."

With an annoyed sighed, I stepped outside and slammed the door behind me. Then it occurred to me. Spike was right. I could go back. Maybe Chase and I could talk this out. Maybe we could try to make things work.

No. I shook my head to clear it. I broke up with Chase for a reason. I couldn't back down.

As I started to leave, I heard Spike say from inside, "She's not coming back, is she?"

No, she wasn't.

** Chase's POV **

I looked around, confused. The entire main floor had been trashed. My science fair project was destroyed. Both Calla and Sabrina were gone, leaving only me and Adam. What was going on?

"The molecule…what happened in here?" I demanded. "Where are Sabrina and Calla?"

Then it dawned on me. My commando app. "Oh no. Did Spike show up?"

Adam looked at me. "So you don't remember anything?" I shook my head. "Not even throwing me across the room?"

"No." I'd thrown him across the room? Hmm, I'd have to ask Calla about that…oh wait. She wasn't talking to me right now.

"Good, because it never happened." Adam told me, starting to leave. I stopped him.

"Wait!" I called. "You activated me commando app on purpose, didn't you?"

"Of course I did! Look who you're talking to." He snapped. I looked at him, annoyed.

"Why would you do that?" I demanded. Seriously, things were working out. It wasn't going to be long before Calla came back to me.

"Because you couldn't see how much you were hurting Calla." Adam told me. I looked at him, about to object. But he didn't give me the chance. "Things like 'I keep forgetting that unlike a certain brunette, you actually like being around me'? Did you really think that she wouldn't be hurt by stuff like that?"

"Why do you care?" I growled, crossing my arms. Maybe he was right. Maybe I did cross the line…a tiny bit.

Adam took a long time to think about his answer. "If I thought that I could get Jessica back by making her jealous, I would try too. But I can't hurt someone I love."

I frowned, a little caught off guard. "You loved Jessica?"

He nodded. "Of course I did. What's not to love?" He asked. I was surprised. I didn't think their relationship was that deep yet. And Jessica had completely stopped talking to him…I'd totally underestimated how badly he'd been hurt.

"Adam…" I trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Look, I know you love Calla. And maybe you guys still have a chance to be together. But that won't happen if you try to make her jealous." He told me. I blinked a couple of times, taking that in.

"That…" I struggled for the words. "I think that was the best advice you've ever given me."

"Yeah, well don't get used to it." Adam told me. He looked around. "So, do you want to come up with an excuse we can tell Mr. Davenport and Tasha?"

** Calla's POV **

"Hey, Sabrina!" I called, running after the blonde as she jogged away from the Davenport house. She slowed to a stop at the end of the road. "Damn, you're fast. Have you ever considered joining the track team?"

She bit her lip, stopping the smirk that came to her. I chuckled. "Before you start freaking out-"

"I started freaking out an hour ago." She informed me.

"Can you just let me explain?" I questioned. She sighed, then nodded.

"Years and years ago, Chase was given something called a Commando App. Basically, when he gets nervous or threatened or too angry, it activates." I began. Sabrina nodded to show that she was following. "The Commando App sort takes control of him. It turns him from a sweet, sensitive gentleman to a rage filled monster that's gone head to head with Principal Perry a couple of times."

"And he likes to be called Spike?" Sabrina asked, confused. I nodded.

"Yeah, I think it was Mr. Davenport who started it." I tried to remember. I shrugged. "It just makes it easier for us to decide who is who. Chase is our Chase. Spike is Commando App Chase."

"Got it." Sabrina nodded. "And our Chase has no control over him?"

"Well, they seem to have some influence over each other. I mean, you saw how Spike didn't bother with us. Chase has gotten into fights with Adam loads of times, but he would never hurt either of us." I explained. Sabrina smiled.

"And why he was trying to flirt with you." She added. I groaned.

"God, I can't believe Spike called me his 'kitten'." I complained. Sabrina laughed.

"I thought it was cute." She offered. I groaned again in annoyance. She rolled her eyes. "Okay, so why did you guys break up anyway? It had to be something big."

I sighed, but explained it. How Chase had told me to stay away from Caleb, then Kieran, our argument, how I left him. Surprisingly, Sabrina was a good listener. And a good friend.

"And that's what happened." I finished. "He was getting to be controlling, and I didn't want that in our relationship."

"It sounded more like he was trying to protect you." Sabrina told me. I looked at her.

"From my friends?" I questioned. She shrugged.

"Boys sometimes don't think these things through." She joked. "And with all the danger in Chase's life already, I don't think it would be too surprising for him to be overprotective of the people he loves."

I sighed. "I suppose. But Kieran and Caleb had my back when I needed them. Why can't he understand that?"

"Chase is jealous of Caleb." She replied matter-of-factly. I frowned and she rolled her eyes. "C'mon! It's obvious. Caleb is one of the best looking guys in our school. His family is rich. And when he's not doing stupid things, he's pretty nice. And he's been spending quite a bit of time with you."

"And what about Kieran?" I questioned, not wanting to admit that she might be right. Sabrina shrugged.

"I don't know about him." She admitted. "But think of it this way: what if someone at our school gave you 'bad vibes' and you told Chase to stop hanging out with him?"

"Well, to be fair, the one time I told him not to hang out with someone, that someone tried to kill all of us." I pointed out. Sabrina looked confused, but chose to ignore it.

"Look, all I'm saying is, give him another chance. I think he really needs you." Sabrina told me before heading off to her house. "Think about it!"

I sighed, standing there. What was I going to do?


	6. Crime Investigators

** Bree's POV **

I sighed, getting into the lunch line. Today was Thursday, which meant it was left-over day. Usually, our school had some pretty decent food to eat for lunch, but by the time Friday rolled around, all we had left was slop.

"Hi." I greeted Flo the lunch lady as I moved up in line. She rolled her eyes at me, clearly not wanting to be friendly. She wasn't the only one in a bad mood either.

"You double-crossed me for the last time, Flo!" Perry exclaimed, storming towards the lunch lady. "First, I catch you smuggling fish sticks in your pantyhose, and then you think you can walk all over me just because you look debonair in a hairnet?!"

With an annoyed huff, Perry walked away. Flo plopped a scoop of slop onto my plate. I grimaces, lifting a very, very long hair from it.

"Wow, I guess the hairnet is just for show." I commented, tossing the hair aside. I sat down at the table next to Jaden and Leo. "Okay, heads up. Stay away from Principal Perry."

"Trust me; that's the first thing I tell myself every morning when I wake up." Leo agreed. Jaden chuckled.

"Not going to argue with you there." He said. He looked over at Perry and Flo. "What's Perry's problem today?"

"What's the matter, Flo?" We heard Perry demand. "Nervous? You should be! One more mess up and I will take you out!"

Perry spun around and noticed our stares. "What are you looking at?!"

"You keep asking me that question and I'm still not sure I can give you an honest answer." Leo admitted.

"Mind your own business! If I wanted to be stared at all day, I'd still be a model for Bert's Chainsaws!" She let out a chainsaw-like sound and walked.

"…okay." Jaden said after a moment. He looked at me. "I swear she gets scarier every day."

I nodded. "I know, right?"

Leo nodded and there was a moment of silence. Then Jaden turned to me. "So Bree, can you please explain to me what happened last week at your house? Calla said that Spike and Adam made a mess of things."

"Yeah they did." Leo agreed. "Mom looked like she was ready to kill them."

"Adam's grounded." I informed Jaden. "Chase…well, since it wasn't his fault that Spike came out, Mr. Davenport let him off the hook. But he still had to help clean everything up." Jaden nodded.

"Just curious." He replied, taking a bite of his slop. He grimace and quickly spit in back onto the tray. "Okay, that's definitely not edible."

I pushed my tray away, trusting his judgement. "So, did you guys hear about the winter formal?"

Jaden nodded. "Oh yeah, that's next week right?" I nodded. "Remind me and I'll buy our tickets tomorrow."

"Hey, do you think we could convince Calla and Chase to go together?" Leo suggested. I glanced at Jaden. Chase would definitely go for it, but Calla…

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask. Where are we on the whole get-Challa-back-together mission?" I asked. Jaden shrugged helplessly.

"Well, Chase came over to talk to her last night. He was trying to convince her not to ask for a position change or something like that. Anyway, there was a lot of yelling, then Calla kicked him out and locked herself in her room for the rest of the night." He told us. "But on the upside, at least they're communicating."

** Jaden's POV **

"And another thing! I'm sick of carrying the weight around here! You're useless!" Perry shouted. I'd been standing at the cafeteria doors for a whole twenty minutes now, listening to Perry and Flo argue. It was crazy.

"What are you doing?" Leo and Bree walked up behind me.

"Shh!" I hissed at them, not wanting to alert the two adults to my eavesdropping. "Perry's yelling at Flo again. It's getting ugly."

"You've disobeyed me for the last time! I make the rules around here and if you can't follow them, then I'm going to put an end to this right now!" We watched as Perry and Flo's shadows moved in front of the glass. It was impossible to see through the glass, but we could see their shadows easily. Perry's shadow raised what appeared to be a large mallet and swung down. It hit Flo's shadow and it fell away from our view.

We watched in horror as Perry continued to beat Flo, eyes wide and mouths open in shock. Leo turned to us.

"Did we just…did you just…did she just…!" He broke off, unable to say it.

"I think she just killed Flo." Bree exclaimed, a hint of panic in her voice.

"Oh no! It's all over me!" We heard Perry exclaim. "I better go clean this up."

We darted behind a nearby garbage can, hiding from the murderer. We watched Perry, now covered in something wet and sticky, walked towards her office. "Great, my favourite pantsuit." She complained before re-examining her clothes. "The waist area is still good. I can turn it into shorts!"

She grinned, running into her office. The three of us slowly got up and exchanged terrified glances. I couldn't believe that Perry just killed Flo!

"What do we do?" Bree looked at me. I hesitated.

"Normally, I'd tell mom, but she's out of town for the weekend." I muttered. I could see that both Bree and Leo were freaking out. I was too, but I was a little better at hiding it. "Okay, first of all, we get out of here before she turns those things into shorts. Then we'll figure something out."

They both nodded and we fled from the school, not daring to look back.

** xxx **

"Mr. Davenport, Mr. Davenport!" Bree screamed as we ran into the lab. He looked up, confused by our terrified appearances. "You won't believe what just happened!"

"I know. I didn't believe it at first, but Adam really did get an A on his science project. Although, I'm pretty sure Calla did most of the work."

"No, it's Principal Perry!" Leo exclaimed. Mr. Davenport's expression quickly turned to one of concern.

"Why? Did something happen to her?" He asked worriedly. Then, not wanting to admit that he actually cared about the woman, he added, "I mean, I'm fine either way, but…"

"She…" I tried to think of a better word than murdered, "'got rid of' Flo the lunch lady."

Mr. Davenport chuckled. "Jaden, I'm sorry but people get fired everyday. Watch." He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to someone. "There. I just fired Bob Mackley."

"That says Bob Martin." Leo pointed out. Mr. Davenport looked at his phone, then sent another text, realizing his mistake.

"Oh well. They were both dead weight anyways." He decided. He started to walk away, but Bree stopped him before he could.

"Flo was not fired!" She exclaimed. "Principal Perry wacked her!"

Mr. Davenport gave us all a sceptical look. "Yeah, they were arguing all day and then Perry just snapped!" I agreed with Bree. Leo nodded.

"Come with us. We can prove it to you." He told his step-father.

"Guys." Mr. Davenport tried to reason with us. "I know Principal Perry has done some awful things, but this is obviously a big misunderstanding. I mean, do you really think murder is something she is capable of?"

"It's Principal Perry. Think about it." Bree insisted.

** FLASHBACK MONTAGE **

" _Come with me. There's something under the bleachers I need dug up and reburied."_

**_ Xxx _ **

" _Let's check out the school. I want to see if the cops are still sniffing around for me."_

**_ Xxx _ **

" _Don't you have janitors to do this stuff for you?"_

" _Yeah, but they're at my house, trying to make something look like an 'accident'."_

** FLASHBACK MONTAGE OVER **

Mr. Davenport stared at us, wide-eyed. "What's wrong with you guys? Of course she did it! Let's go!"

We followed the older man out of the lab and back to the scene of the crime.

** Bree's POV **

We ran into the cafeteria, expecting to find a gruesome crime scene with blood, guts, and quite possibly, Flo's cold, dead body. Instead, we found the room spotless, as if nothing bad had ever happened here.

"I don't get it. There's no evidence anywhere." I looked around, confused.

"She must have cleaned up to cover her tracks." Leo decided. Mr. Davenport didn't look that convinced though.

"This was a complete waste of time." He complained. "The only crime here is that I'm late for my pilates class. You guys got me all worked up over nothing-"

The door behind us swung open and Perry walked in, wearing the horrid shorts and carrying a mop. We all shouted in surprise. "What are you doing here? School's been closed for hours!" Perry sounded very annoyed with us.

"She's wearing the shorts." Jaden hissed in my ear. I could hear the horror in his voice.

"I don't know what's more disturbing: the fact that she may have offed someone or that she's showing that much leg." Mr. Davenport whispered back.

Perry set down the mop, then turned to us. Leo raised an eyebrow at her. "Why are you sweating…more than usual?" He asked. Perry looked a little surprised by the question.

"I was cleaning up. There was…an accident." She replied hesitantly.

"An accident?" Jaden repeated. "Like an accident you diabolically planned?"

He wasn't the only one being outright suspicious. "Where's Flo?" Leo demanded.

"Yeah, we saw you fighting with her earlier!" I exclaimed.

"We patched things up!" Perry defended herself. "She's in a better place now!"

"A better place." Leo repeated.

"There's nothing to see here. Move along." Perry insisted.

"So then you don't mind if we take a look around?" I questioned. We all glanced at the garbage bags behind Principal Perry.

"What's in the bags, Perry?" Leo questioned. Perry kicked them behind her and they bounced off the tables with a squishing sound.

"Bags? What bags?" Perry replied. We all exchanged looks.

"We know what's going on!" I shouted.

"We saw everything!" Jaden agreed.

"You were yelling at Flo, then you started pounding." Leo told her. She paled, looking scared for once.

"You saw that?" She gasped. We nodded. "Well now you know too much. No one's leaving!"

Well, that wasn't good. Perry ran past us and deadlocked the doors together.

Mr. Davenport even looked nervous at this point. "Look, do whatever you want to us, but please, put on some pants!" He begged.

** Jaden's POV **

"This has gone far enough, Perry." Mr. Davenport finally decided. We'd been waiting for a long time to see if Perry would kill us or not. So far, we were all intact, but knowing our psycho principal, that fact could change at any moment.

"Yeah, let us out!" Leo agreed with his stepfather.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Perry replied, her voice lacking emotion. "At least, not until I jam this down your throat."

She pulled a metal cover off a plate and the four of us flinched. However, the only thing under the cover was four burgers.

"She wants to watch us eat first." Leo realized. "You are one sick lady!"

Perry merely rolled her eyes and pushed the plate towards us. "Go ahead, dig in."

"Well, I would, but I'm on a low carb thing…" Mr. Davenport tried to get out of eating the burger, but Perry didn't give him a chance to lie his way out of this one.

"Eat the meat, Don." Perry growled menacingly. He gulped, but took a burger. We all did. Hesitantly, we all took a bite out of the food.

It was amazing. Incredible. Before today, I'd never thought it would be possible to top one of my mom's homemade burgers. I was just proven wrong.

"Mmm." We all nodded approvingly, until Mr. Davenport spit out a ring.

"Is that a ring?" Bree gasped, surprised.

"Rusty and Flo forever." He read off the piece of jewellery. We all stopped chewing immediately, knowing what that meant. Spitting out everything that was in my mouth, I felt like I was going to be sick. I couldn't believe that Perry turned Flo into a delicious piece of meat!

"Okay, she did it. Let's get out of here!" Mr. Davenport decided and we all ran for the door. Leo pulled on the deadlock, but it wouldn't budge.

"I can't unlock it!" He cried. I frowned.

"Don't you have a bionic arm? Why don't you use that?" I questioned. He looked at his hand.

"Right, I can do that now." He remembered. Using the bionic arm, he pulled the deadlock away as if it was nothing. We all ran out the door, not caring to see if the others were following.

** Bree's POV **

"I called the police!" Jaden called, running out Perry's office. I nodded approvingly at my boyfriend.

"Adam and Chase will be here as soon as they can." I informed him. Leo jogged back into the lobby, carrying a baseball bat.

"And I've got a weapon." He announced. I rolled my eyes.

"Leo, you're bionic." I reminded him.

"I keep forgetting!" He complained, dropping the bat. He looked around, frowning. "Hey, where's Big D?"

I looked at him, alarmed. "I thought he was with you!" I exclaimed. We all spun around at the sound of Perry's voice coming from the cafeteria.

"This is it, Donny." She announced. "Say goodbye to everything you ever knew!"

The sound of a mallet hitting something soft and mushy filled the air. "NO!" We all shouted, bursting into the room. We were confused by what we saw.

Perry stood in the center of the room, beating hamburger meat with a mallet while Mr. Davenport watching in fascination. "It really makes a difference when you tenderize the meat with a lot of brute force!" Perry shouted.

"What is going on?" Leo demanded. Mr. Davenport turned around, grinning.

"Hey. You're just in time. Perry's showing me how to pound some rounds." He chuckled. "It's really disturbing, but you can't look away."

"Wait, so this whole thing was about making hamburgers?" Jaden confirmed. Perry stopped hitting the meat so we didn't have to shout anymore.

"She and Flo are opening a food truck." Mr. Davenport explained.

"Oh." We nodded, realizing that it made more sense than our murder theory. Then we remembered how good those burgers were, despite the ring. "Oh!"

"We were going to open a regular restaurant, but then we figured that the health inspector is going to come after us anyway, might as well put some wheels under us." Perry explained. "Flo's picking up the truck now."

"They came up with the perfect recipe." Mr. Davenport cut in. Perry nodded.

"There was a lot of arguing, but we finally got it." She picked up the mallet. "My secret ingredient is rage!"

She once again resume to mercilessly beat the meat.

So, as it turned out, Flo was alive. And the school was going to get a lot more, better tasting burgers. So once we explained the misunderstanding to the police officers that showed up, it was decided that the day could have gone worse.


	7. Face Off

** Bree's POV **

"Hey Jay." I grinned, skipping into the school. My boyfriend was sitting at the bench in the lobby, trying to do some last-minute homework before class. He didn't even glance up as I approached.

"Oh, hey." He greeted, scribbling down some notes. "How was your night?"

There was something in his tone that made me stop. "Uh, we had a mission. Had to go stop some thugs from stealing a large supply of indium from Mr. Davenport's supply."

Jaden frowned and looked up. "What the heck is indium?"

"Chase said that Mr. Davenport uses it for electrical conductors or something." I shrugged and he went back to his work. "Okay, what's wrong? You never focus that much on homework unless you're peeved at something."

"It's nothing, Bree." He assured me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Jaden…" He sighed.

"You do remember that we were supposed to go out last night, don't you?" He questioned, turning around. I froze.

"Oh, crap! Jaden, I'm so sorry! With the mission and everything, I completely spaced." I apologized. He shook his head.

"It's not your fault, I know. Missions come first." He told me. I was about to apologize again, but he stopped me. "Seriously Bree, I'm not upset with you."

I nodded. "Thanks for understanding. I know this isn't the first time it's happened." I said, sitting down beside him.

"Yeah, third time this month." He agreed. He sighed. "Look, I know it's not your fault and I don't blame you or Mr. D or anyone really. It's just…I'd like to have one night with you where bionics, or inventions, or Krane, don't end up ruining it."

I nodded. "What about tomorrow night then?" I suggested. He looked at me, confused. "The winter formal, remember? It can be a totally bionic, invention, and Krane free night."

He grinned. "That would be amazing." He kissed me softly, and when he pulled away, he was still smiling. "Thank you."

I was about to say more when the first period bell rang. "I've got to go to math class." He announced, getting up. "You've got spare, right?"

I nodded. "Yep."

He smirked. "I'll try and sneak out early." He offered. I beamed.

"Can't wait." I called after him. Grinning, I walked over to my brothers. "Guess who's got a date to the winter formal?"

"Calla!" Adam guessed. I looked at him.

"No…well, if she does, she hasn't told me. I was talking about me though." I told him. Chase nodded.

"Jaden got your tickets?" He questioned. I nodded.

"Yep. It's going to be amazing!" I grinned. Adam and Chase both rolled their eyes at my excitement. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that neither of you guys have dates?"

"Nope." Chase muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. Adam laughed.

"Yeah, 'cause no one wants to date you." He commented. Chase raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Who are you going to the dance with?" he countered. Adam stopped laughing.

"…no one." He murmured sadly before walking away. Suddenly, a pair of arms grabbed me around the waist. Giggling, I fell into the embrace.

"Hey you." A voice murmured in my ear.

"Hey yourself." I replied. I turned around to kiss Jaden when the intercom turned on.

"Attention students, this is your principal, Principal Perry." Adam's lousy impression of Perry was heard throughout the entire school. "Please report to the hallway where Bree Davenport is about to make out with the boy she likes."

All heads turned towards us. Most of the school already knew we were dating, but having them all stare at us was really, really embarrassing. I glared at Adam as he stepped out of the principal's office.

Jaden meanwhile, dealt with the crowd in the only way he knew how – with a smirk and a laid-back response.

"Yep. Sorry ladies, I'm spoken for." He announced before kissing me on the lips. The kiss lasted for a long while (not that I minded) just to prove his point. By the time I pulled away, the students had diverted their attention to other things.

"Why would you do that?" I demanded, turning to Adam. Jaden nodded.

"Yeah dude, not cool." He agreed. Adam shrugged.

"Hey, if Perry were alive, she'd want me to." He defended himself. We both stared at him.

"She's not dead; she's home with a cold!" Jaden reminded him.

"You don't know that! She could be dead by now." Adam insisted. "And this is how I choose to honour her."

"Can't you embarrass somebody else besides me?" I requested. Adam shrugged.

"I could." He agreed before turning around and pulling Chase's pants down to his ankles. The entire hallway burst into laughter. Even I had trouble keeping it back, hiding my smirk with my hands. Chase stared at Adam, shocked and embarrassed. "But I'm better than that."

"Wow…" We turned to see Calla standing behind Chase, shaking her head at her ex. "That is…attractive."

Chase hastened to pull up his pants as Calla walked past him, still shaking her head. I ran after her.

"Hey, you want to pick out dresses together for the winter formal?" I questioned. She grinned.

"Yeah, sure. Wanna go tonight?" She suggested. I nodded.

"Sure. Oh, by the way, who's your date?" I inquired. Calla merely shook her head.

"Don't have one." She replied, stopping at her locker and opening it. I noticed that it had recently been redecorated. Instead of pictures of her, Chase, and the rest of us, it was full of complicated blueprints. Hmm, must be a new project.

"Did no one ask you?" I asked, confused. She shrugged and pulled out a couple of books.

"Well, Jake Mason from history did, but…" She shrugged. "There's just no spark, you know? He's a cool guy, but I don't like him like that."

I nodded. "I understand. Hey, Adam and Chase aren't going with dates either. Maybe you can hang out with them." I suggested. She bit her lip.

"Yeah, maybe." She agreed absently. I could tell she wasn't too into that plan though.

"What about Kieran and Caleb? Do they have dates?" I questioned.

"Nope." We turned at the sound of Caleb's voice. The handsome boy stood behind us, a backpack hanging off one shoulder. "Morning Bree, morning Cal."

"Hey." I nodded at him, but he didn't seem to notice. He was only looking at Calla. He clearly wanted to talk to her and I could tell that this was something that I didn't want to get involved in. "I'll see you later, Calla." I told my best friend before walking away.

** Calla's POV **

I sighed and watched as Bree walked away. "She doesn't like me much, does she?" Caleb guessed. I shook my head.

"Nah, I don't think so." I agreed. I frowned at him. "Okay, I know for a fact that you have English right now. Did you get a spare this period too?"

"Uh, no. I'm skipping." He admitted. I crossed my arms and gave him a look. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I had a good reason."

"This should be interesting." I muttered, leaning back against my now closed locker. "What's up?"

"Well…" Caleb trailed off, looking around the hall. It was empty, everyone either back in their classes or taking advantage of their spare elsewhere. We were alone. "Obviously, you know that the winter formal is tomorrow night."

"Yeah, I was just talking about it with Bree. You need help finding a date?" I'd already tried helping Kieran find a girl for him, but no one had interested him so far.

Caleb chuckled and shook his head. "Actually, I think I've found the perfect girl. She just needs to say yes."

Suddenly, a chill went down my spine. Oh no. Please, no. "Good for you, Caleb." I smiled, hoping I was wrong about his choice. "Who is it?"

He pressed one hand against my the locker, bringing himself closer to me. "You." He murmured.

Damn it, I was right. I took a moment to figure out a good way to word my answer. "As flattered as I am, I'm going to have to say no, Caleb."

He didn't move. "Come on, Calla! Now that Chase and you are done, what's stopping you?"

"Do you want that list alphabetically, or chronologically?" I questioned. He didn't answer. "I thought you were okay with us just being friends."

Caleb gave me a look. "How could you even think that I was okay with that?" He questioned. "Calla, do you really think I could be 'just friends' with the girl I love?"

I blinked, a little surprised. "You love me?"

He let out a short laugh. "I've been in love with you since the sixth grade." I stared at him, and he took that as a sign to continue. "Remember? We snuck up onto the roof between classes so you could take pictures of the solar eclipse on your new camera. I accidently locked the door behind us and we were stuck up there for three hours."

"Caleb…I…" I trailed off, a little stunned that he remembered that. "I don't know what to say."

"Say yes." He leaned in, about to press his lips against mine. And for half a second, I was going to let him.

Then I came back to my senses. I stopped him, my hands pressing against his chest. "Don't."

"Calla, love, I-" He began. I cut him off before he could say more.

"You don't love me Caleb, you never did." I shook my head at him. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have kissed Faith or Bree."

I ducked under his arm, intending to get away. I heard him call after me. "You stuck up little bitch!" I heard him shout. "I've done everything I can to make you happy, even putting up with those freaks you call friends."

I stopped where I was, then spun around to face him. "Insult me, go ahead Caleb. I don't care. But the one thing I won't let you, or anyone, do is insult my friends, got it?" I demanded. "You leave them out of this."

"C'mon, Calla. Don't tell me you care about those weirdoes. Even that nerd that you used to go out with?" He demanded. I looked at him.

"Yeah, I do care about 'that nerd'. His name is Chase, by the way." I spat. "And he was a better boyfriend than you ever were."

** Bree's POV **

I stormed into the lab after school, annoyed. "Adam is such a jerk!" I complained. I turned to Chase, who had sat down at Calla's desk. "I can not believe that he embarrassed me and Jaden in front of the whole school!"

"Yeah, you two usually manage to embarrass yourselves just fine on your own." My younger brother agreed. I shot him a glare. "Don't worry, I know the perfect way to get revenge."

He got up from the desk and pulled a box out of a drawer. "I've been working on upgrades to Mr. Davenport's cyber masks. Now," he flipped the box open, "they're cyber masks and cloaks.

He grinned at me, expecting me to be impressed. "That's not revenge. That's you being a nerd."

He rolled his eyes. "These perfectly mimic the face and body of the person you're pretending to be. Now you can impersonate Perry and bust Adam!" I liked the sound of that. "Here is how I redesigned the electrical infrastructure-"

"Yeah, boring. Let's get to the pain." I told him eagerly, grabbing one of the cyber chips. He nodded and walked back to Calla's desk. He turned on the computer screen and started typing. "Just let me download a picture of Principal Perry and enter her height and weight."

I looked at him, confused as to how he would know those numbers. "I got it off the back of her trading card." He explained. "She used to play hockey in Canada."

I shrugged, placed the cyber mask chip on my neck, and waited for Chase to finish his work. A few seconds later, he gave me a nod and I pressed the button. I glanced down at myself, and saw that I had grown much fatter and uglier. Cool, it worked!

"And voila." Chase told me. I stood up and checked my reflection in the desk. It was hideous, but definitely Perry.

"Wow. I look just like her!" I grinned. "I sound just like her too, and I'm not even using my vocal manipulation."

"I know." Chase grinned. "Voice modulation is built right in. And if you want to change back to your own voice, just press the other end of the tab."

I did so. "This is so cool!" I exclaimed in my own voice. "This is going to be-" I let go of the tab and my voice changed back to Perry's. "-the best revenge ever."

I stepped forwards to hug Chase, but he backed up. "Let's just shake on it." He offered, clearly not wanting to hug me while I was in Perry's body. Rolling my eyes, I shook his hand, then began to plan how to get back at Adam.

** Calla's POV **

"Crap!" I muttered, racing into the school as the bell rang. I skidded to a stop next to Kieran. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"You missed first period." He noted, closing the book in his hands. I nodded, still trying to regain my breath.

"Yeah, I know. Mr. Davenport wanted me at the big board meeting today, but I forgot to have my mom call ahead and excuse me from class." I explained. He nodded.

"You're lucky – we had a substitute today. He didn't notice that you weren't here." He assured me. I grinned and sat down beside him.

"Thank god." I muttered. Kieran glanced at me, an amused smirk on his face.

"So, why did Davenport want you at the meeting? Was it important?" He inquired. I nodded.

"Majorly important, actually. He's making some big changes at the company." Kieran looked at me, curious, but I shook my head. "Sorry, Kieran. It's supposed to be a secret."

He pouted a little. "Can't I have a hint?"

I thought about it, trying to think of a way to give him a clue without really spoiling anything. "It's…it's going to change the entire future of Davenport Industries forever. And no, I can't say any more than that."

He rolled his eyes. "You're no fun." He muttered. He started to open his book, then stopped. I frowned.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, a little concerned. Lately, Kieran had been…off. I didn't know why.

Said boy sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

I looked at him suspiciously. "Are you planning on asking me out?" I questioned. He shook his head.

"No…?" He seemed confused, so I shrugged.

"Alright, shoot." I told him. He hesitated.

"What do you know about recurring dreams? Like what they might mean?" He finally asked. I frowned.

"Well, recurring dreams are usually the result of something in your life that you've not acknowledged and is causing you stress." I quoted my favourite science website, HowStuffWorks. "Why? Are you having recurring dreams or nightmares?"

"Dreams." Kieran admitted. I leaned forward, curious.

"About?" I prompted. He looked at me.

"Promise you won't make fun?" He asked.

"Nope, now tell me." I instructed.

"It's about a girl." He began. He must have caught sight of my very amused expression, because he immediately defended himself. "It's not like that! There's nothing romantic about it at all!"

I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. So, who's the girl?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I feel like I should know her, like her name's on the tip of my tongue, but I just don't know."

The poor guy looked really bothered by this. "Okay, do you remember anything else?"

He looked at me helplessly. "No, just her. Nothing else…" I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" I inquired. He frowned.

"I hear her voice, sometimes. She keeps calling me K-9." I bit my lip, thinking.

"K-9? Can I call you Dog-Boy from now on?" I asked. He gave me a look. "K-Dog it is."

"I'm serious." He insisted. I nodded.

"I know. But I don't know what to tell you. Have you been under any stress lately?" I asked. He shook his head again. "What about headaches? Any more of those?"

"They're getting worse." He complained. I patted his back, hoping it would help.

"I'd try Tylenol or something Kieran. But I don't know enough about psychology to help you with your dream problems." I apologized. "Sorry."

He shook his head, looking deep in thought. "It's fine. It's probably just a little stress from going to a new school and all."

I frowned at him. "You sure?"

He gave m a small smile. "Yeah, I'm sure."

I nodded, smiling back at him, then looked around. "Okay, why is everyone standing around?"

Kieran chuckled. "Oh, you don't know? Adam's been doing the announcements, pretending to be Principal Perry. It's pretty funny."

As if on queue, I heard Adam's Perry impression over the intercom. "Attention students, it's me again. The real Principal Perry. You know, pantsuits, cats, hate you. Any who, even though I'm sick at home, I want you all to know that you make me sick here too."

I laughed and shook my head at the boy. "That's not going to end up well for him." Kieran commented.

"What makes you think that?" I inquired. He pointed to the far wall.

"Because Perry just showed up." He explained.

"Yeah, that's not Perry." I told him. He looked at me. "Trust me, K-Dog, I know a cyber mask when I see one."

'Principal Perry' (or whomever it was disguised as her) walked up to Adam. "Hey!" The older boy jumped at the sound of her voice. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Principal Perry? I thought you were sick!" Adam exclaimed. I glanced around, knowing that there were only four people with access to cyber masks. And since Adam, Chase, and Leo were all in sight, I knew it had to be Bree. Wait to go girl.

"I am." Bree/Perry replied. "But I ran out of people to give the virus to, so I'm spreading it around here."

Adam looked at her disgusted, but Bree/Perry continued. "I heard you were embarrassing the students. Well I think it's time to embarrass you."

Adam laughed. "Good luck with that. I've been embarrassing myself for years. It's kinda hard to top the master."

"Embarrasing himself is something he's proud of?" Kieran whispered, not wanting to interrupt. I nodded, a smirk on my face.

"Apparently." I agreed. I looked at the younger boy. "Let's see where this goes."

Not five minutes later was Adam standing in the hall, dressed in the same outfit as Chase. He even had his hair spiked up to match. I had to admit, Bree was a genius when it came to knowing what embarrassed her brothers.

"Okay, you've topped the master." Adam admitted, his face red.

"You look ridiculous." Chase laughed. Adam looked at him.

"You realize I'm dressed like you, right?" He questioned. Chase's smile faded as he looked at his outfit, then back at Adam's.

"Hey, it's not a bad outfit." I commented. Kieran looked at me. "What?"

He just shook his head at me. "I don't understand why you two don't just forgive, forget, and make out."

I looked at him and laughed. "Not how things work."

"Really? It doesn't seem that complicated to me." He commented, getting to his feet and heading to his next class.

** Bree's POV **

I walked down the stairs, carefully not to trip on my brand new shoes. Calla and I had spent hours searching for the right outfits, so long that it felt like it was the old times, before the world knew we were bionic. It was really fun, and I got a really pretty red dress out of it too.

"How do I look?" I asked Chase, twirling in front of him. He didn't even look up from his magazine.

"Terrible." He replied. I crossed my arms and cleared my throat. He sighed and looked up. "You look great, Bree. I'm sure Jaden will think so too."

I smiled at him, then smirked as Adam stormed up the stairs. "I can not believe Principal Perry came back from the dead just to embarrass me like that!" He complained. "Now, call me crazy, but I'm starting to think she's not a good person."

Chase and I exchanged looks. "Oh, he still doesn't know." I reazlied.

Chase looked at me. "Know what? That's an endless list. Can you be more specific?"

I hummed in agreement, then turned back to Adam. "Well, Adam. A prank is no fun unless you take credit for it, so I guess I should probably tell you that it wasn't Perry messing with you, it was me."

Adam looked at me in confusion. "I don't understand."

I rolled my eyes. "Here. Let me show you." I offered, pressing the tab that was still on my neck. I quickly changed into Perry, much to Adam's surprise. "Aren't I gorgeous?"

"Whoa!" Adam was stunned. "Bree?"

I nodded. "Yep."

He laughed. "I know I should be mad, but best prank ever!" He high fived me. I pressed the button on the tab to change me back.

"Thanks, I'm rather proud of it myself." I replied.

"Even though it was my idea." Chase added. I rolled my eyes.

"You're always proud of yourself. Take a day off." I suggested. The door bell rang. "That's Jaden. I'll see you guys later."

"You're going to leave while you still look like an Eastern European swim coach?" He questioned. Confused, I looked down at myself. To my horror, I still looked like Perry. "Lose the cyber cloak."

"Good catch." I complimented, hitting the button again. Nothing happened. Jaden knocked on the door. "Be right there!" I called, hitting the button frantically. Still, I didn't change back. "Chase? What's going on and why won't I change back?"

Chase frowned, then took a look at the tab. A few seconds later, he backed up. "I believe the technical term for this is 'it's stuck'."

I stared at him. "Stuck?" I repeated. "I can't go to the dance as Perry! What am I going to do?"

There was another knock on the door. "Bree? Are you ready?" Jaden called.

Adam laughed. "I know I am."

I turned to Chase. "Fix this." I pleaded. "I promised Jaden a bionic and invention-free evening. If he finds out about this, he'll get mad."

"Bree?" Jaden knocked on the door again. "It's kinda cold out here. Can I come in?"

Adam leapt off the couch and headed for the door. "Adam, do not open that door!" I ordered.

"Why would I do that? Oh right. Because it's going to be hilarious." He grinned and opened the door. "Come on in, Jay."

Jaden walked in, hands shoved in his pockets. "Principal Perry?" He questioned, staring at me. "What are you doing here?"

I reactivated Perry's voice. "Uh…yelling, sweating, rifling through their meat." I replied. Jaden shrugged.

"Okay, cool. Is Bree around?" He inquired, looking around.

"She's not here." I lied. Jaden raised an eyebrow.

"I just heard her voice." He told us. He let out an annoyed huff. "Don't tell me she's blowing me off for another mission/invention thing!"

"No." I said quickly. "I mean, she's here, she's just not in the room right now. She'll be down in a sec. Can you excuse us?"

I grabbed Chase by the arm and dragged him into the hall. "Grab another cyber mask and pretend to be me!" I begged. He looked at me like I was crazy.

"What?" Chase demanded. I rolled my eyes.

"Relax, all you have to do is tell Jaden that I'm too sick to go to the dance." I told him.

"No! I refuse to be your-" I sped us down to the lab, slapped a cyber mask on him, then dragged us back upstairs.

"Wow." Jaden grinned, looking at Chase/Me. "You look beautiful."

"Knock it off, dork." Chase muttered in his own voice. He quickly changed it. "I mean, nice sweater. I think I have the same one."

Adam just looked at us confused. "Wait, what's going on?" He asked. He figured it out after a second. "Oh, okay. I see what you did. You know what? You guys keep going. I want to see how this plays out." He sat back down on the couch, a cheeky grin on his face.

"Look Jaden, I'm sorry, but I can't go to the dance. I'm real sick." Chase/Me faked a cough.

"Sick?" Jaden repeated, confused. "You were fine on the phone."

Chase/Me panicked for an excuse, but Adam cut in before anyone else could speak. "Don't worry, Jay. I see what's going on here. Bree's not sick, she's nervous. Trust me, she really wants to go to this dance with you."

Jaden was pleased by this. Chase/Me was not. "No, I'm not!" He attacked Adam, getting violent to the point that he jumped on Adam's back. Jaden watched in surprise and confusion as they fought.

"Stop it!" I shouted, making both Adam and Chase/Me freeze. They glanced at Jaden.

"Okay, this is weird." Jaden admitted. "Should I go?"

"No, don't go Jaden!" I pleaded before remembering that I looked like Perry. I turned to Chase/Me, a pleading look on my face. "Bree, tell him what you told me. That you think he's great, that you aren't going to mess tonight up with a stupid invention, and that you're dying for him to take you to the dance."

"I am not taking him to the dance." Chase/Me growled. I looked at Jaden.

"Excuse us for a sec." I told him before pushing Chase/Me back into the hall. "Look, if your stupid mask ruins this date, Jaden's going to be really upset with me and I need to prove that we can have a bionic/invention free night. Go to the dance and stall him until I can figure out how to switch this off!"

"No way." Chase/Me growled.

"I am a teenage girl trapped inside Perry's body. Do you really want to see what happens when those two mix?" I demanded. That made Chase/Me stop and think.

"Fine!" He snapped. "But that is no way to treat someone pretending to be a lady."

He sighed and walked over to Jaden. "Alright, let's go to the dance, dude." He declared. I pushed him forward, urging him to act more like me. "I mean…" Chase/Me let out a fake-giggle and curtseyed. "Shall we?"

Jaden and Chase/Me started out the door. "I'll chaperone!" I called, walking after them.

"Me too." Adam offered, not wanting to miss a moment. "Oh and Jaden, feel free to hold Bree's hand!"

I sighed as Chase/Me violently assaulted Adam once again.

** Calla's POV **

The dance wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Kieran never showed (I didn't really blame him though. Going without a date was a little weird) but the music was great and it wasn't like I was the only single person there. Rebeccka had gone without a date and judging by the grin on her face, she was having the time of her life. Not to mention, I had a really pretty dress. It was a mostly white dress with straps, but started to fade into a blue after it passed my waist. I had my favourite snowflake necklace on, along with white flats.

"Hey dude!" I glanced up from my glass of punch to see Adam run up to the DJ. "Is that your van outside? Dude, I think you'd better go check. I think somebody put a dent in it."

Eyes widening, the DJ started to run out. Adam stopped him. "Oh, and hey," he held out a hammer, "can you return this to shop class?"

The DJ, too concerned for his vehichle, didn't even stop to question why Adam had a hammer. But I did.

"Okay, what are you up to?" I asked as Adam climbed onto the DJ's stand. He grinned at me.

"You'll see." He promised, grabbing a mike. "Ladies and gentlemen! Let's get this party started! Whoo!"

Everyone in the room clapped. "Let's start with a slow love ballad."

Following Adam's gaze, I saw that the older boy was smirking at Jaden and a very, very annoyed looking Bree. "Are they having issues or something?" I questioned. Adam laughed to himself.

"Something like that." He agreed as Jaden pulled Bree onto the dance floor. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, until Bree crossed her arms and Jaden put his around her. Perry walked up to us.

"Adam." She warned. Said boy chuckled.

"Don't they make a lovely couple?" he asked. I looked at the two of them, confused.

"Okay, what is going on?" I demanded. Before either of them could answer, my phone rang. I glanced at it and groaned. "I'll be back."

Stepping into the hall, I answered the call. "You know that I punched out three hours ago, right Mr. Davenport?"

He merely laughed.  _"Do you remember that discussion we had about the replacement for number 2?"_

"On the softball team? Yeah, of course I do. You said it was going to be either Dougie or Leo. Why?"

" _They seem to be under the impression that they're competing to be my new vice-president."_

I blinked, taking that in, then laughed loudly. "Seriously? Why would they think that?"

" _They went through my stuff without permission."_  My boss explained. I shook my head. Idiots.  _"Anyway, I need two things from you."_

"Sure." I nodded.

" _First of all, I told them they'd have to complete challenges to help me decide. Any ideas?"_  I thought about it for a second.

"Dodgeball or random electrocutions." I replied. He hummed thoughtfully.

" _Second of all, wanna be on the softball team?"_

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" I agreed.

" _Great. Just one last thing. Do you know where the cyber masks are?"_

"Uh, I think Bree was messing with them earlier." I replied. I glanced back at Perry, who was still here. Was that Chase, disguised in a cyber mask? Had to be. "I think Chase has them now."

** Bree's POV **

"It's still not letting me change back!" I complained to Chase/Me. My eyes widened when I saw Jaden coming up behind us. "Jaden!" I hissed to my brother.

"Bree, there you are." Jaden grinned at Chase/Me. "Are you ready to hit the dance floor again?"

"Yeah, sure." Chase/Me sighed. "Just give me a sec to run to the can." Jaden looked at Chase/Me confused. "The trash can. In the ladies room. Yep, I am all lady."

With that, Chase/Me ran off in an attempt to escape. Jaden looked at me.

"I don't know what's going on with her. She promised me one night, and now it looks like that's not going to happen, bionics or not."

"She really meant to keep her promise!" I blurted out. "She did her best because well, she really likes you. Really, really likes you."

Jaden looked at me, weirded out, then walked away. With a groan, I plopped down at the table across from Adam.

"Having fun?" He questioned, smirking.

"What do you think?" I demanded. "Jaden is upset with me and I'm trapped inside Perry's body, which, by the way, is as sweaty inside as it is outside."

Once again, I tapped at the button on the tab. "Tonight is the worst night of my life!" I complained, burying my head in my arms. I heard Adam's surprised, yet delighted laugh.

"And the best day of mine." He laughed. I looked up and stared in horror as the REAL Principal Perry walked through the doors.

Panicking, I ducked beneath the punch table. I glanced up seconds later to see Chase/Me talking to Perry. I knocked over a glass, knowing that he would hear it with his bionic hearing. Chase/Me looked over and jumped, realizing that he was speaking to the real Perry.

"Something weird is going on!" Perry announced loudly. I couldn't hear most of what they were saying, but then Jaden walked up and Chase/Me forcibly dragged him onto the dance floor.

"I want to go dance like the girl that I am!" Chase/Me announced. I groaned in embarrassment as he began to dance awkwardly, but I knew he did it as a distraction for me to escape. Very quietly, I attempted to sneak out of the gym. I failed, being caught by Perry at the last second.

"Hey!" She called, eyes widening when she saw my face. "What do you think you're doing?"

"…I can explain." I offered. Perry nodded.

"You'd better!" She agreed. "My long lost twin sister shows up after eleven years, she better have a real good reason."

Twin sister? There were two in the litter that created Perry? "You're a twin?" I couldn't help the surprise from leaking into my voice.

"Don't try that amnesia thing with me again." Perry growled. "You owe me a car, a canoe, and two boyfriends."

"Uh…I'm sorry?" I really didn't know what to say here. Perry nodded.

"You're gonna be. I'm about to give you real amnesia!" Unzipping her jacket, Perry advanced towards me.

** Calla's POV **

Okay, tonight was definitely one of the weirder nights in Mission Creek. I mean, one Perry was bad enough, but two? And one of the Perrys was trying to kill the other.

"Get off me!" One of them, the one in a pantsuit, shouted.

"You can keep the boyfriends, but I want that canoe!" The second Perry shouted, pushing her opposite away from her. Suddenly, that Perry's body shimmered and was replaced with Bree's body.

"Bree?" I asked, confused. Wait, if she was over here, then who was dancing with my brother. I turned around to see Jaden and Chase slow dancing together, the latter's head on my brother's shoulder. Blinking twice, I whipped out my cell phone and snapped a couple of pics.

Jaden pushed Chase away, a confused and disgusted look on his face. Chase just frowned at him.

"What?" He asked. Then he glanced down at himself and realized he'd turned back. "Oh."

There was an awkward pause. Then, with a smirk on his face and a laugh in his voice, Chase said, "Thank you for the magical evening."

** Bree's POV **

"Okay, I need an explanation." Jaden announced, walking over to me. I bit my lip, nervous. "Come on, Bree. What's the deal?"

I sighed. "You remember how we were messing Adam using the cyber masks?"

Jaden nodded. "Yeah, it was funny. I loved the look on his face when 'Perry' walked in."

I nodded. "Yeah, well the cyber mask got stuck."

Jaden stared at me for a moment. "Stuck? It got stuck on Perry?" He confirmed, to which I nodded. He laughed. "Oh my god, that is rich. That is hilarious!"

"No it's not!" I objected. Jaden chuckled and pulled me into a hug, lying his head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry Bree, but it really is." He chuckled into my ear. He kissed me on the cheek. "But I won't laugh if it upsets you."

He pulled away a second later. "There's just one thing I don't get."

"What is that?" I asked.

"Why didn't you just tell me what was going on instead of having me go to the dance with your brother? Unless he really wanted to dance with me, which would be totally understandable. I'm so cool even the guys want me." Jaden grinned, causing me to giggle.

"I just…I made you a promise and I didn't want to break it." I explained. Jaden nodded, still smiling at me.

"Bree, it's fine. I just have to get used to the bionics and the inventions…but no Krane, please no Krane." He begged. I nodded.

"No Krane. That's a promise I can keep." I agreed, hugging him. He hugged me just as tightly back.

"Should I be bothered by the fact that your brother is actually a pretty good slow dancer?" He asked innocently. I laughed, then pulled him out onto the dance floor for a real dance.

** Calla's POV **

"That was…interesting." I commented, following Chase to the punch table. He groaned.

"You saw that?" He questioned, filling up a glass. I nodded.

"You know, you could have told me if you had a thing for Jay. I totally would have understood." I continued. He rolled his eyes, then began to fill up a second glass.

"I don't have a thing for your brother." He insisted, handing me the second glass. I took it with a smile.

"I know." I agreed. "Which bears the question; why'd you do it?"

He sighed. "What? You're not going to make more fun?"

"Not until I know the reason. And if you say that you were trying to make me jealous…" I trailed off, smirking. He chuckled.

"Nah, I'm not stupid enough to try and make you jealous with your own brother." He replied. "Bree got stuck in the Perry form because of the cyber mask, so I did her a favour."

"That was nice of you." I commented. Chase frowned at me.

"Okay, this is the first time you've talked to me without getting mad since the break up. What's going on?" He asked suspiciously. I sighed.

"You were right." I admitted. Chase looked at me as if I was crazy.

"What did you just say?" He questioned, surprised. I sighed.

"You were right." I repeated. "About Caleb, I mean."

Chase's gaze darkened. "What did he do?"

Knowing him, there was probably a hundred possibilities going through his mind. "He tried to kiss me." I replied. Chase bit his lip, annoyed.

"And did you kiss him back?" He murmured, his voice quiet. I gave him a look.

"What do you think?" I demanded. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Good…I mean, it's totally up to you who you date." He mumbled the last bit. I smirked.

"He also insulted you and the others." I continued. Chase gave me a look.

"God, he IS an idiot!" He exclaimed, making me laugh a little. "I mean, I've made the same mistake, but everyone knows how protective you are of your friends."

"Yeah." I agreed, fumbling with my bracelet. Chase raised an eyebrow at that.

"Are you okay?" He questioned. "You only do that when you're nervous."

I stilled my hands. "I'm fine…"

Chase sighed. "Look Calla, I'm sorry I insulted Kieran and Kaitlin. It's just…I got paranoid about new kids after everything that's happened and I nearly lost you that night and-"

"Don't apologize." I ordered. Chase stopped midsentence, confused. "I overreacted. I was mad and upset and a little freaked out and I took it out on you. That was wrong. I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

Chase seemed a little surprised, so I continued. "I screwed up, and during our time apart…I realized how much I need you. Please,  _please_ , take me back."

Chase took a moment to register this, then smiled a slow, soft, loving smile. "As if I could ever say no to you."

He stepped forward then, lifting my face with his hands, and pressed his lips to mine. And for the first time in weeks, I felt complete again.


	8. Adam Up

** Calla's POV **

"Morning." I greeted, walking into the lab. Leo nodded at me before turning back to our favourite bionic people. They were training in the simulator again, clearly a little too occupied to notice my presence. I glanced at Leo's screen. "How long 'till they're done? Mr. Davenport wanted me to go over bo staff routines with them."

"They'll be done in…three…two…one." Leo counted down. As he said one, Adam, Bree, and Chase all stopped fighting virtual bad guys and took off their simulator glasses. "Great job guys. You just took out an entire unit of virtual cyborgs."

"I think it's sad that you have to invent people to play with you." Eddy commented, appearing on his screen. I rolled my eyes at him, then looked at the others.

"Davenport has you on cyborgs already?" I questioned as Chase walked over, wrapping an arm around my waist. "You weren't supposed to get to that until next Tuesday."

"He's advanced our training." Chase explained before kissing me on the cheek. I smiled.

"Alright Leo, I'm off the clock. Let's go." Adam announced.

"Hold up." Chase ordered, turning to look at him. "Just because Mr. Davenport's away doesn't mean we start training."

Adam and Leo both groaned in annoyance, but Chase wasn't going to let them complain. "How do you think I feel?" He questioned. "I'm missing a four-hour documentary on the printing press."

We all looked at him, but didn't comment. To be honest, it didn't sound like that bad of a film, but the others clearly thought so. "But Leo and I were going to play human bulls-eye bounce." Adam objected. Bree stared at him. "Don't worry, it's way more dangerous than it sounds."

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what's human bulls-eye bounce?" She questioned.

"You really don't want to know." I told her, remembering the time Adam forced Chase to play that.

"Is there any way you could get a good enough bounce to land in the emergency room?" Chase asked. "Because that would save us a lot of time."

"Chase." I warned softly.

"Chase is right, Adam." Bree agreed with her brother. "As much as I love watching you get hurt, and I really do, we have to train."

"Oh come on!" Leo complained. "The adults are away. If we don't take advantage by doing something destructive, we're no better than…Chase."

"I'm sorry, but unless he can be in two places at once, he's training!" Chase snapped. Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind. A really, really good idea with a 50% chance of blowing up in our faces.

"Chase, you and Bree get the bo staffs." I instructed. "I need to talk to Adam and Leo for a second."

"Okay." They agreed, walking away. I pushed both Adam and Leo into the lab's backroom, a smirk on my face.

"I never get to do what I want! It's not fair!" Adam complained. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, are all of your cool bionic abilities, really awesome missions, and total popularity at school getting you down?" I teased. He smiled.

"Aw, thanks Calla. I knew you'd understand." He replied. I just shook my head.

"I've got a proposition for you boys." I announced, smiling. Leo looked at me.

"What type of proposition?" He questioned suspiciously. I smirked.

"The kind that gets Adam out of training." I replied. Adam's face lit up.

"Whatever it is, I'll do it!" He exclaimed. I laughed.

"All you have to do is test out one of my new inventions before I show it to Mr. Davenport." I explained. "It's my new cellular duplicator."

"What does that do?" Leo questioned as I grabbed the device out of it's storage case and placed it onto the table.

"It scans human DNA and makes a lifelike doppelganger using synthetic bio-plasma." I explained. Adam frowned at me.

"Are you even speaking English?" The older boy questioned. I rolled my eyes.

"It uses your DNA to make a clone." I reworded my explanation for his sake. Adam's face lit up like Christmas.

"Cool!" He reached for it, but I stopped him.

"Be careful." I warned. "It's not fully tested and there's a large chance it can go horribly wrong." I warned. Leo looked at me.

"Then why are you telling us to use it?" He questioned. I smirked.

"There's a large chance it could go horribly wrong." I repeated. "And if it does, I'd rather you guys be the one to test it." They both nodded.

"Okay, let's do this." Adam decided. I smiled.

"Great. The device just needs a sample of your DNA, so why don't you just pull-" Before I could finish my sentence, Adam spat a glob of saliva onto the panel. "-a hair out."

The device turned on, bright lights flashing. Seconds later a blob of plasma fell out, onto the ground. "Aw, look! It has my eyes!" Adam cooed as the plasma began to grow and morph. Soon, Adam was face to face with Adam.

"Whoa!" "Awesome!" Adam and Leo grinned. Both Adam's started raising their hands to see if the other would copy. Then they spun around shook their butts at the other. Leo nudged my elbow.

"This may have been a big mistake." He commented. I nodded.

"You could be right about that." I agreed. I sighed.

"Alright. Come on…Adam." I grabbed the Adam clone by the arm and dragged him into the lab. "Time to train guys."

"Where's Leo?" Bree questioned. I shrugged.

"I don't know. Probably off doing something stupid. Alright, now break's over. I'll fire up the simulator." I offered.

"Adam, please remember." Chase began. "The cyborgs are fake, but I am real."

I raised an eyebrow at this, listening in on the conversation. "Just one question." Adam replied. "Is this real?"

He then hit Chase in the back with his bo staff. "Ow! Why'd you do that?" Chase demanded.

"Because real pain is funnier than fake pain." Adam replied, hitting Chase again, much to the younger boy's surprise. Bree laughed.

"Chase, you're a genius? Even I saw that coming." She commented. I smirked. Perfect. No one could tell that it was the fake Adam.

** Leo's POV **

Adam and I laughed as we watched the fake Adam hit Chase with his bo staff. "This is awesome!" I grinned. "They're totally buying duplicate you!"

"I know!" Adam agreed gleefully. "The only thing more fun than hitting Chase is watching me hit Chase."

I nodded, then remembered why we were up here. "Let the human bulls-eye bounce begin!"

Adam high-fived me before walking up to the mini-trampoline. "Okay, so it's as easy as it looks." He explained. "Jump as high as you can and try to land in one of the point circles."

"Cool. It's just like being at a real carnival." I grinned. Adam nodded.

"I know. I even covered the floor in popcorn and mystery goo." I glanced down at my feet, grimacing when I saw all the goo over my brand new sneakers.

"Thanks." I commented sarcastically, making a mental note to find out what that mystery goo was. Adam smirked, then hopped onto the trampoline.

"I'll go first!" He called, beginning to jump. "The key is to get a lot of bounce, then worry about accuracy."

His plan didn't exactly go so well, because the next thing I knew, Adam had crashed through the wall. Only his legs, dangling over the kitchen counter, could be seen from my end. "Quick! Get me down from here!" I heard him scream. For a second, I thought he was hurt. "I need to do that again."

I grinned. This was the best game ever!

** Calla's POV **

"Hey you." I greeted, skipping forward and giving Chase a quick peck on the lips as he walked into the lobby. "How'd your algebra test go?"

"Boring. Mr. Randal wouldn't let me play Plague Inc on my phone when I was done." He complained. "I had to sit there twiddling my thumbs for over an hour!"

I grimaced. "I never liked Mr. Randal myself either." I replied. I looked away from Chase at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Jay, Bree? What do you guys think of Mr. Randal?"

"You mean the control-freak that gave me four Fs last semester?" Jaden confirmed. I nodded. "Oh, I love him."

Bree rolled her eyes. "C'mon Jaden, he's not that bad." She replied. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she stared at something behind me and Chase. "You know what? We're just going to leave you guys alone…"

She started to back up, Jaden following her lead. Chase and I both frowned. "What are you guys doing?" Chase asked. We both turned around and came face to face a very unhappy looking Perry. "Oh. Now I get it."

"Hey, Hansel and Gretel." She greeted. I sighed.

"Morning Principal Perry." I replied back. She ignored my response.

"Listen. My niece is visiting from…uh…wherever she lives and I'm going to assign you two to be chaperone's for a couple of days." She informed us.

Chase and I both started searching for excuses. "Well, um…I can't. I'd love to, but I can't." "We are so sorry, but we're really busy for the next couple of days…"

"Oh, so cute. You think you have a choice." Perry smirked. Suddenly, a thought came to mind.

"Wait, why would you want us to show her around?" I questioned. "You can't stand us."

Perry smiled. "Oh, you've noticed." She seemed touched by that. "Look, my niece may be sweet and innocent, but if she hangs around the cool kids, they'll corrupt her. You're nerds and aside from the bionics, no one likes you. So that's why she's hanging with you." I sighed and rolled my eyes, much to Perry's amusement. "If it's not clear, let me spell it out. You. Are. Not. Cool."

"Yeah, we got it the first time." Chase muttered.

"Hi, Aunt Terry!" We turned to see a little girl, maybe twelve years old, walk up to us. She had dark hair, glasses, and was wearing a pink and white shirt. She seemed perky, a big difference from her aunt.

"Carrie, darling." Perry smiled. "This is…" She trailed off, trying to remember our names. "Give me a second…Kevin…and…Susan?"

I rolled my eyes. "Calla and Chase." I corrected. Perry shrugged and glanced at her niece.

"No one really cares." She informed the young girl. Carrie grinned and held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Carrie Perry." She introduced herself, shaking our hands. "Thanks for showing me around. I hope it's not too much of a bother."

"No, no." Chase assured her. "We are happy to be forced to help."

I bit back a smirk. "Chase, be nice." I hissed. Perry nodded.

"Great. Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm headed to the chemistry lab to sear off a wart." She showed us the disgusting wart, then walked off, leaving us alone with Carrie.

"Bye Aunt Terry!" Carrie shouted after her aunt, before turning to us. In a second, her expression had turned from joyful and cheerful to just plain scary. "Here's the deal, ladies. I'm skipping school and hitting the mall. And when I get there, I'm going to plant a dead fly in my burrito and eat for free."

Chase looked stunned by her sudden change of personality. "I'm sorry Carrie, but as your chaperones, we can't-"

"SHUT IT, SQUAT MUG!" The little girl shouted. She looked him over. "The little elves called. They want you back at the tree to make cookies."

We both stared at the girl. "You can't talk to us like that!" I snapped at Carrie. She chuckled.

"I just did, boy hips." She retorted. I gasped, offended, then looked at Chase. He looked at me, clearly wanting to stay out of this. Carrie didn't wait for him to say anything. "I'm out of here."

"You can't just go!" Chase objected. I nodded.

"Yeah, what are we supposed to tell Perry? Except for the fact that she should round up some bail money." I muttered. Carrie slammed the books out of my hands.

"Tell her I was with you two nimrods all day!" Carrie snapped. "And you'd better do my homework, or else."

"Or else what?" I challenged. She smirked.

"Or else you'll get this." Her face turned into a mask of fake tears and distress. "Aunt Terry, they were so mean to me! Make them pay! Make them pay!"

Damn that little girl was good. And evil. Depending on your point of view. "So we good?" Carrie asked, smirking because she already knew the answer. "Later peeps."

We watched her go. "Okay, she is definitely a Perry." Chase decided. I nodded in agreement.

** Leo's POV **

"Hey Jaden." I greeted, sitting down at our usual lunchroom table. The football player nodded at me, taking a bite of his fajita while fake-Adam was preoccupied with his own food. "Where's Bree?"

"Ms. McMillan asked her to stay behind. Said something about helping with tonight's school play or something." Jaden shrugged and was about to say more when my phone went off. I quickly answered it, smirking when I realized who it was.

"Go for Dooley." I greeted. Adam's voice came out.

" _Hey, how's it going?"_  He asked.

"Great, duplicate Adam is acting just like you." I replied, watching as said clone tired to build a tower out of hotdog wieners. "Although, he did get a D+ on your geography test."

" _A D+?"_  The real Adam sounded horrified. "He better dial it back or we're going to get caught."

I shrugged. Probably not. I mean, there wasn't that much a difference between a D- and D+. "So, how's everything going at home?"

" _Great. I'm just messing around with that nacho volcano Calla and I made for our science project."_ He replied.  _"Oh no! The cheese lava is coming! Run for your lives, people Jalapeñia!"_

I rolled my eyes. "Just save some for me when I get home." I pleaded.

" _No promises."_  Adam replied.  _"Hey, can I talk to me?"_

I smirked and looked at fake-Adam. "It's for you." I told him, holding out the phone. He frowned.

"Who is it?" He asked, confused.

"You." I replied. Jaden looked between the both of us, confused as hell, but fake-Adam grinned.

"Hello?" He greeted, answering the phone. We couldn't hear the real Adam's responses, but fake-Adam's replies were loud and clear. "You're good. How am I?...Just so you know, I'm not so crazy about this whole school thing…What? How are you going to do that?...No way!" Fake-Adam looked at me. "I've got to go."

And with that, he fled from the room. With my phone.

"Dude!" I leapt to my feet, shouting after him, but he could hear me. I sank back into my chair and glanced at Jaden. "I'm never seeing that phone again, am I?"

"Sorry, I'm confused. What's going on?" He questioned. I sighed and quickly explained his sister's invention. He grinned once he understood what it could do. "Hey, could I borrow that when you're done?"

I frowned. "Why?"

He grinned deviously. "Mom finally agreed to me getting another tarantula. And since it was Calla's fault that I had to get rid of the last one, I think it's time for revenge."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to make a hundred tarantula clones then put them in her room, are you?"

His smirk grew. "I'm thinking more in the thousands."

I nodded, chuckling. "Just remember to video tape her reaction, will you?"

Jaden nodded eagerly. "Deal."

** Calla's POV **

Carrie finally came to find us after 4th period, an evil smirk on her face. I wanted to wipe that smirk right off her little face, but Chase stopped me, reminding me that punching a little kid would not reflect well on me.

"Math homework." He growled, handing the sheets to Carrie. "Geography homework. History homework."

I sighed and handed her a rolled up piece of paper. "And here's your art project. Don't expect an A."

"Don't expect a thank you." Carrie retorted, snatching the project from my hands. "Now give me twenty bucks."

Like hell I was going to do that! "For what?" I demanded.

"Milk shakes for me and my girls." She replied with a roll of her eyes. "Fork it over princess!"

Before I could say anything, she ripped a twenty out of my wallet. Chase laughed, much to my annoyance.

"You just got a shake down from a preteen." He chuckled. I glared at him, but as it turns out, I was not the only one unhappy with his comment.

"I'm thirteen, bumsweat!" Carrie growled. Chase looked at her.

"Were you raised by a gang of bikers?" He questioned. I crossed my arms, glaring at the girl. But only for a moment though, because then I saw Principal Perry enter the lobby.

"Okay, that's it. I'm done." I decided, storming over to Perry. Chase was hot on my heels. "Principal Perry, we need to have a little discussion about your niece."

"We sure do." She agreed. "She LOVES you two."

"What?" Chase questioned, confused. "That's impossible."

Perry nodded. "I know. I find you repulsive." She commented. "But thanks for watching Carrie. This morning, I got to spend an extra hour at the dog track!"

"Yeah, that's great, but-" I began, only to be cut off.

"So now, I need you to watch her tonight." Perry continued. "I'm playing flag football with the cops."

We both stared at her. Seriously? She was invited to the flag football game? Even Jaden and I weren't allowed to go, and we basically grew up around that police station! "And how do you get to play flag football with the cops?" Chase questioned, sensing my annoyance.

Perry shrugged. "You go to enough highway wrecks with free pizza and they let you in." She replied. "Anyway, if you watch Carrie, I just might forget about the detention days you've accumulated."

"What detention days?" I demanded. She smirked.

"You mouthing off? You just got detention!" She laughed gleefully. I stared at her.

"You can't do that!" I argued.

"I just did, Sally Sideburns!" She replied. I crossed my arms.

"No, no way. We are done-" I began, only for Chase to interrupt me.

"Can you give us just one moment?" He requested from Perry before leading me off into the corner. "Look, I know the girl is a nightmare. But if we do this, we just might get on Principal Perry's good side."

I looked at him. "Chase, the woman has many sides, but none of them are good."

"Calla…" He murmured, giving me a pleading look. I sighed.

"Fine. But you owe me for this." I muttered. He grinned and walked back over to Perry, who was stretching against the water fountain. She stopped once she saw that Chase and I had returned.

"We've discussed it." He informed her. "Carrie is more than welcome to come over tonight."

Perry laughed. "There you go again, acting like you have a choice." She resumed to stretch against the water fountain.

** Leo's POV **

It took Jaden and I a couple of hours to find Adam. When we did, we felt like idiots. Of course the one place we should have looked and didn't was the kitchen.

"Hey, where's duplicate Adam? I lost him at lunch!" I exclaimed, running in.

"Hey, don't worry." Adam assured me. "He came home so he could go ice fishing with me."

"What?" I questioned, confused. Adam grinned.

"It's a long story, but remember your goldfish Beyonce?" He inquired. My eyes widened, fearful about what else he had to say.

"Yeah?"

"She'll be joining us for dinner." He declared, holding up a smoking pan. My heart fell at his words. Dang. Beyonce was my favourite pet.

"Just tell us where the duplicate is." Jaden ordered. Adam rolled his eyes at the worry in Jaden's tone.

"Okay, relax. I just told him what Chase told me; unless you can be in two places at once, back to school."

"But he didn't go back to school." I reminded him. Adam looked confused.

"Then where is he?" He questioned. Our eyes widened.

** Xxx **

We burst into the lab to see a very peculiar sight.

Three Adams were already in the room. One was sitting on top of Calla's desk. The second one was spinning around in her chair. And the last one was standing by my desk, where Calla's cellular duplicator sat, lights blinking. Seconds later, another Adam, clearly just made, stood up from behind my desk.

"Holy crap." Jaden muttered. I glanced at him.

"What are we going to do?" I questioned, distressed. Our Adam just grinned.

"I don't know what you're going to do, but we're going to start a boy band." He decided, beginning to dance. His duplicates followed his lead, copying moves from Bree's BTR DVDs. Jaden looked at him.

"Wait, I thought there was only one duplicate?" he sounded confused. Immediately Adam stopped dancing and turned to his duplicates.

"Jaden's right. Which one of you are responsible for this?" He questioned.

"He is!" Three of the Adams pointed at the one in the chair. Said duplicate clone stood up.

"I only duplicated myself once because you said I had to go back to school!" He objected. Our Adam shrugged.

"I can't argue with that." He commented.

"Then the duplicate I made didn't want to go to school either." One of the clones continued.

"Again, it makes sense." Our Adam agreed. I looked at him.

"Adam, we have to do something." I hissed. Jaden nodded.

"And fast." He agreed.

The original Adam gasped, grinning. "I know! Let's make one more duplicate and make that one go to school!"

He stepped towards the cellular duplicator, but I got to it first. Lifting it above my head, I smashed it onto the ground, shattering the invention. Our Adam glared at me.

"You broke my me-maker!" He accused.

"And you fried Beyonce! We're even!" I snapped back. Jaden looked at me nervously.

"Calla's going to kill you, Leo." He stated the obvious. "When she finds out about this, she's going to bury you six feet under."

I nodded in agreement, although I didn't have the time to worry about that now. I looked at Jaden and Adam. "Okay, we need to get rid of those guys. I'll get Chase. Jaden, find the girls. Adam, you stay down here and watch them." I instructed.

Both Jaden and I bolted for the elevator, leaving all five Adams alone.

** Calla's POV **

"Bye Aunt Terry! Love you!" Carrie called out the front door. I rolled my eyes, leaning against the arm of the couch. Just as I expected, her attitude changed the moment Chase closed the door. "Ugh. Her car is disgusting. I don't know where the kitty litter ends and the cookie crumbs begin."

I shrugged. One thing you couldn't fault Carrie for – she hated Perry as much as the rest of us.

"Alright Carrie, you're on our turf now." I declared. "So we're not going to put up with you bossing us around."

Carrie laughed. "I'm not staying with you losers. I'm going to the skate park to throw marbles on the half pipe and sell ice packs in the parking lot."

"That is pure evil." Chase commented, his tone disapproving. Carrie shrugged.

"What you call evil, I call a lucrative side business." She commented. Suddenly, her phone beeped. "Oh, my taxi's here. Don't wait up."

And with that, the little demon walked out the door. Chase and I stood there for a moment, then I glanced at him. "Aren't you going to go after her?" I asked.

"Aren't YOU going to go after her?" He retorted. I sighed.

"Fine, we'll both go." I decided. However, before I could open the door, Bree sped into the room.

"Hey, what's the 911?" She asked, frowning. Chase and I exchanged looks.

"Huh?" I asked, confused. She pulled out her phone.

"Jay texted me. Said there was an emergency at the house and that I had to drop everything and come home." She replied. She gave me a look. "If he pulled me out of rehearsal just so he could surprise me…"

"Guys!" We turned to see Jaden and Leo running breathlessly into the living room. "We have a serious problem with Adam!"

"Uh, you'll have to be more specific, Jaden." Chase replied. Leo nodded.

"Yes, there are five of him." He informed us, showing five fingers. While everyone else was totally baffled, my mind went straight to my cellular duplicate. I sighed. Serves me right for showing it to Adam and Leo.

"Leo, what are you talking about?" Bree questioned. Ignoring her, I looked at Leo.

"Tell me he didn't make four copies of himself with my duplicator?" I pleaded. He nodded guiltily. Chase looked at me.

"Wait, I thought that was still in the testing phase." He said. I nodded.

"Yeah. And I tested it on your brother." I admitted. He gave me a stern look. "But hey, now we know it works."

Just then, Adam walked into the kitchen, a piece of paper in his hands. "Hey guys!" He called as he opened the fridge.

"Adam, what are you doing up here?" Jaden demanded. "You're supposed to be downstairs watching the other Adams!"

"Hello, they're our guests. It would be rude not to offer them drinks." He retorted before reading off his list. "Two waters, one OJ, and one berry-infused decaf green tea with soy milk on the side." He looked at us. "One of me is very high maintenance."

"Clearly." I agreed. I looked at the others. "Alright, down to the lab. Let's see how badly Adam and Leo screwed this up."

** Leo's POV **

When we walked into the lab, three of the Adams were playing rock, paper scissors. "More Adams?" Bree groaned. "We will never be able to air this place out!"

Adam rolled his eyes. "See guys? There's nothing to worry about. They're all here."

"I thought you said there were four duplicates!" Chase objected. Adam nodded, frowning.

"Yeah." He started counting and pointing. "One, two, three, four…uh-oh."

"Really?" Chase demanded, looking annoyed. Calla was quick to reassure him.

"Relax babe. I can easily reverse the duplication process with my…" She caught sight of her destroyed invention. "What did you morons do?"

She did not sound happy at all. "It was Leo's fault." Jaden stated, backing up slightly. Calla turned on me.

"You broke my invention." Her voice was deadly calm.

"Hey, that thing was squirting out an Adam every ten seconds! What did you want me to do?" I demanded. Calla looked ready to argue, but decided against it.

"Okay, once this is all done, I'm going to kill you." She decided. "But until then, I want all of you to go find the missing Adam! I'll get rid of these guys."

"How are you going to do that?" Jaden questioned. His sister smirked.

"Trust me, big bro, you don't want to know." She replied, still smirking. We all nodded, too afraid of her to argue, and ran for the stairs.

** Leo's POV **

It took me a while to find the missing Adam, but eventually I found him at the park, chasing after the ice-cream man. "Found him!" I called, pushing the clone into the house. Bree, Adam, Chase, Calla, and another Adam were already in the room.

"Found him!" Jaden called, walking out from the spare bedroom, another Adam following him. We all exchanged looks.

"Guys, what is going on?" Chase demanded. Calla nodded.

"Yeah, I already kil…got rid of," she changed her wording, aware of the looks the other Adam's were giving her, "the others."

"Yeah, I thought there was only supposed to be one Adam left." Jaden agreed. Suddenly, the elevator dinged. Out piled Adam, and Adam, and Adam, and more and more Adams. I did a quick head count once the elevator closed. Including the ones we'd brought into the room, there was a grand total of 18 Adams in the room. We all stared at them, too stunned for words.

"No, no!" Bree exclaimed. "I can not handle this many Adams! The world can not handle this many Adams! This is Armageddon!"

"Bree, you're overreacting." Jaden tried to soothe her. It didn't work.

"ARMAGEDDON!" She cried, glaring at him. Deciding that it was better to stay quiet, Jaden backed off. I frowned and looked at Calla, hoping she would have an explanation for this.

"This doesn't make sense." I said. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's breaking things. And I definitely broke your duplicator."

"Well…" She trailed off uncertainly. "It's possible that the duplicates began to duplicate on their own."

"WHAT?!" We all shouted. Calla winced at the sound of our annoyance.

"Well, yeah. I figured it would be more efficient in case the machine was damaged." She replied with a shrug. Chase looked at her.

"Why didn't you tell us about this before?" He questioned. She gestured at Adam.

"It's Adam! I didn't think he'd figure it out!" She cried. Before anyone could argue with her, there was a knock at the door.

"Yoo-hoo! Anybody home?" That was Perry's voice. Calla and Chase froze.

"Oh crap." Chase muttered.

"Great. Just great." Calla said, starting to panic ever so slightly. "Now there are 18 Adams walking around and no Carrie!"

"Shh." Chase hushed her. "Let's just pretend we're not here."

We all stayed still, but it didn't work. "I heard that! My parents tried that last Christmas!" Sighing, Chase walked up to the door as Perry knocked harder. "Carrie, are you okay?" She demanded.

"Everything's fine. We just need a second." Chase lied. Perry didn't like that.

"Listen up, you little pigs. I've got a welding torch and a battering ram in my trunk. This can go easy, or this can go hard."

"Whatever." Calla muttered. She pulled a device similar to her Paragun out of her bag. She caught my stare and smirked. "Same tech as the Paragun, but instead of shooting capsules with a paralysing agent in them, it shoots out an electromagnetic wave."

To prove how effective her device was, she blasted it at the large group of Adams. They disintegrated before out eyes. Chase did a quick headcount.

"That's only 16. There's two left. Where are they?" He demanded. We all shrugged, unsure. Before anyone could answer though, we heard a voice coming from above us.

"Look out below!" Perry called. There was a thud, then smoke and ash flew out from our chimney. Perry stumbled out seconds later, covered in soot.

"Did you just shimmy down the chimney?" Jaden demanded, stunned. Perry nodded.

"It's okay. I'm a professional. I used to be a chimney sweep back in the nineties. I learned the hard way not to wear a skirt." She explained, much to our disgust. "Now, where's my niece?"

"She's just getting her things together." Calla came up with the excuse on the spot. "She'll be out any minute."

We all started nodding in agreement. "Hey guys." Adam said, walking up.

"What's up?" Another Adam came from the other direction. Both of them stopped beside the Adam that had been in the room first.

"Adams!" Chase hissed, staring at them. The three identical boys stared at each other, then looked at the rest of us.

"What's going on? Why are there three of you?" Perry demanded. Chase looked at her and came up with an idea instantly.

"You must have got some soot on your glasses." He said. It was true; her glasses were filthy. I followed my step-brother's lead.

"Yes, yes you did! Let's get those cleaned right off." I agreed, running up and taking the glasses from her. I led her towards the kitchen while the others dealt with the multiple Adams.

** Calla's POV **

Leo had been kind enough to deal with the Perry problem, distracting her by showing her all the meat in their fridge. Which left us to deal with the two-fake Adams and the real one. The problem? We didn't know which was which.

"Alright, who's the real Adam?" Jaden demanded.

"I am." All three answered in unison. Bree hit my arm to get my attention.

"What are you waiting for? Just zap all three of them." She requested. I shook my head.

"I can't." I replied. She looked confused, but Chase explained before she could ask.

"If she zaps the real Adam, the jolt of electricity could fry his bionic infrastructure." He explained. Bree shrugged.

"Well, you've got to zap two of them, so make a decision." She ordered. I bit my lip.

"The duplicates are perfect copies." I told her. "There's no possible way to figure it out."

"Let me try." Chase offered. He gave me a look. "You'll know who to shoot."

I smirked, curious as to what he had planned. "Okay, let's see."

Chase stepped away from us and stood in the middle of the three Adams. "Alright, whichever of you is the real Adam, show me what you've got."

The Adam on the left grinned. "Sweet!" He exclaimed, grabbing Chase by the back of his collar and throwing him through the air. Smiling at Chase's planned, I blasted the other two Adam and watched as they disintegrated.

"Good plan!" I called as Chase stumbled back into the kitchen/living room area. He gave Adam a look, but didn't say anything.

"Hey!" We looked back to the kitchen at the sound of Perry's voice. She was holding a package of meat. "Remember for the next time I come over. I like my salami spicy."

We gave her a thumbs up. "Got it." Bree agreed, not really meaning it. Perry put her glasses back on and looked around.

"Now, where is Carrie?" She questioned. Chase and I exchanged looks.

"See, the reason she's not…" "The truth is…" We began, but were soon spared by Carrie herself. Perry caught her sneaking back into the house.

"Carrie!" Perry exclaimed, catching the younger girl off guard.

"Aunt Terry! You're here!" She got back into character quickly though. "I was just taking a stroll on their lovely grounds and I must have gotten lost."

"So you're okay?" Perry confirmed. Carrie nodded.

"Okay?" She walked over to Chase and I and side-hugged us with strength that shouldn't belong to a girl her size. "These two have been wonderful to me! I'm just sad I'm not going to get to hang out with them anymore."

We certainly weren't.

"Well, then I have some good news." Perry replied. "I'm enrolling you at Mission Creek. So then you'll get to spend every day with…Steve…and…June…?"

"Calla and Chase!" Chase corrected. Perry laughed.

"Yeah, I still don't care." She chuckled.

** Leo's POV **

"Man, I love this movie." Adam laughed. As per our usual Thursday night tradition, the Parker siblings had come over to watch the weekly movie. This week, it being Calla's week to choose the film, the movie was Guardians Of The Galaxy. And it was pretty awesome.

Just as Chris Pratt began a dance-off with the main villain, there was a knock at the door. Quickly pausing the film, Adam got up to answer it.

"Pizza's here!" He called. We all looked to see which delivery guy had shown up. Usually, we got Steve, who often gave us discounts in exchange for a slice (not that bad a deal, besides, he was a cool dude) but this time, it was someone new. The new delivery guy looked just like Adam.

"A large meat-lovers for Adam?" The guy questioned. Adam nodded and handed him the cash.

"Thank you very much…Adam." He read off the name tag. We all looked at each other as our Adam closed the door.

"I'll grab the Electro-Magnetic Gun." Calla offered getting up along with the rest of us. Chase grabbed both his and her coats.

"You've got to think of a better name for that!" He called after her.

"What about EMG?" She questioned, allowing him to help her into her coat. He shrugged.

"Sure, not bad." He agreed. I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon love birds. It's time to find us another duplicate."


	9. Merry Glitchmas

** Calla's POV **

"So, what did you get the others for Christmas?" I asked curiously, helping Chase wrap a present. It was that time of year again. When gifts were given, when cookies were eaten, and when school let out for a whole two weeks. Christmas – the most wonderful time of the year.

Chase smirked at me. "You need gift ideas, don't you?" He guessed. I sighed.

"Yes." I admitted. "Christmas is in 3 days and I STILL don't have a present for Adam."

"I got him a Christmas colouring book." Chase offered unhelpfully. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm trying to get him a present that doesn't undermine his intelligence." I replied. He opened his mouth to speak, but I raised my hand, cutting him off. "And don't you dare say that he doesn't have any intelligence whatsoever."

Chase closed his mouth. "I wasn't going to say that." He grumbled unconvincingly. I laughed lightly. "So, what did you get everyone else?"

"Well, I can't tell you your present, but I got Bree some shoes, Mr. Davenport got a new mirror, Tasha got some make-up, Jaden got a Nurble, and Kieran's getting a new book on animals. I even got Glitch a new chew toy."

He frowned, noting that I missed someone on purpose. "What about Leo?" He asked. I smirked.

"His present is…special. It's not done yet, but I'm sure he'll agree that it's worth the wait." I replied, thinking about the gift. "And before you ask, it's a surprise."

Just then the door opened.

"Ho ho ho! Santa's here!" Mr. Davenport announced, walking in with a couple of bags in his hands.

Leo pointed at him. "I'm not sitting in your lap, just hand out the gifts."

Mr. Davenport chuckled, placing the bags on the table and opening them. "Presenting this holiday season's hottest new action figures…Adam, Bree, and Chase!" He pulled out three action figured that vaguely resembled our friends. Of course, they were delighted by the new action figures.

"Wow!" "Cool!" "TOYS!" They all cried, taking them from him. Just like kids, they sat down at the nearest table, playing with them.

"They're so cute." Tasha cooed. I nodded.

"Yeah. Plus, it's about time we get to sell this kind of merchandise." I added. Mr. Davenport nodded and turned to Adam, Bree, and Chase.

"Now that the world knows and loves you guys, a toy company was eager to put one of these in every kid's stocking. For a small licensing fee." Somehow, I doubted that the licensing fee was that small.

"Ahem." Leo interrupted, looking at Mr. Davenport expectantly. "Didn't they forget a certain someone?"

Mr. Davenport just looked at his step-son in confusion. "I'm just saying," Leo continued, "this face would look awesome in moulded plastic. It appears to children of all ages."

I bit back a laugh. "Sure it does, Leo. Sure it does." I commented. Mr. Davenport smirked at my comment, then looked at Leo.

"Leo, we agreed to keep your bionic arm a secret. Besides this is about Adam, Bree, and Chase." Mr. Davenport reminded him before pulling another action figure out of the bag. "And me!"

He began to play with his action figure. "You've got to be kidding me." I said, shaking my head at him. I wasn't the only one staring though, and after a moment, he stopped.

"What? It comes free with the set." He defended himself. Bree nodded.

"Right, because no one would actually pay for you." She replied with a smirk. Mr. Davenport chose to ignore her and went back to his bags. Leo went back to wrapping and I sat down on the floor between Chase and Bree.

"So, what do you think of the action figures?" I asked. Adam smiled.

"They're awesome, and look!" He picked up Chase's action figure. "Chase's is life-size."

Chase just smirked. "Oh, and look. Adam's head is hollow, just like the real thing."

Adam took his doll back, a hurt look on his face. "It's not hollow. It's filled with potential."

I smiled inwardly, remembering when I told him that. Him and Chase had been insulting each other, and Chase went a little too far (one of them usually does and then I'm left to fix things before it gets physical) so I'd tried to lift Adam's spirits. I was glad to know that he actually listened to me.

"Potentially? More like air." Bree muttered, beginning yet another argument between the three of them, this time about whose toy was better.

"Guys?" I tried to intervene, but was promptly ignored.

"Guys!" Tasha, however, was able to get their attention. "It's Christmas. This is a time to think about others, not yourselves. Which is why, famed TV reporter Tasha Davenport is hosting a charitable toy-drive at school."

We all looked at her. "Oh, it can be a little about me." She said. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"Of course is can, honey." He assured her, giving her a quick kiss before pushing her out of the way. "Now that that little self-involved side trip is over, check it out." He held up his phone. "Your action figures are now second place on the holiday gift best-seller list."

While Bree and I thought that was a good thing, Chase clearly disagreed. "Second place?" He repeated. "What's first?"

Mr. Davenport checked. "A toy called the Nurble." He replied, much to Chase's confusion.

"What the heck is a Nurble?" He questioned. He looked at the picture. "That? That's just a furry, orange ball."

"Yeah, who would buy that stupid thing?" Bree questioned. We looked over our shoulders to see Adam playing with the Nurble I'd bought for Jaden.

"Nurble, nurble, nurble, nurble…" He muttered under his breath before he caught us staring. "What? It has fur and rubber! What else do you need in life?"

"Give me that." I pulled the toy away from Adam. "That's for my brother."

"Fine." Adam sighed. I smiled, deciding to give the Nurble to Adam for Christmas while replacing Jaden's gift with a football and helmet. Yeah, that would work.

"Hey Donald." Tasha interrupted. "I bet the kids at the charity drive would love some of your old toys."

Mr. Davenport scoffed. "Tasha, they are not toys, they are scientific invention." Not particularly caring, Tasha ran off to find his toys, my boss following after her. "No! Stay away from my toys!"

Chase turned back to us. "The only reason the Nurble is out-selling us is because our action figured don't have any cool features." He decided. I looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"And a furry, rubber ball with one eye does?" I questioned, idly playing with it in my hands. Adam smiled.

"See? Calla gets it." He told Chase. Leo looked at us.

"Hey, you know what would make your toys number one?" He asked. "Drop a little dab of Dooley into that fun pack."

We all looked at him. "Or," Chase turned to the rest of us, "we can make better prototypes and get the toy company to sell them and then we'll be number one instead of the Nurble."

I rolled my eyes. "You guys are being ridiculous. Who cares if some toy is beating you?"

"I do." Chase replied, sounding slightly offended that I did not. "We're heroes. We should be number one. I don't see any furry rubber balls saving the world."

Adam looked at the Nurble in my lap longingly. "Nope, but they do bring the world joy."

"How?" Chase countered. Adam looked at me, his hand outstretched.

"May I?" He requested. Curious, I handed over the orange ball. He threw it at Chase, the toy hitting him really hard in the gut. Leo laughed loudly in the background. "See, joy!" Adam exclaimed, earning a high-five from Bree and a smirk from me.

** Chase's POV **

I was just finishing up with the action figures I heard footsteps down the hall. I looked over my shoulder to see Adam and Bree walking into the lab.

"Hey guys. I just finished improving our action figures with some cool new features." I announced, grabbing one of the toys. "Check out Adam's."

I pressed a button on the back and the action figure's eyes lit up red. "Activating heat vision." It announced.

I grinned, but Adam looked unimpressed. "Great, now show me the cool thing you added."

My smile fell slightly, but I wasn't done. I then grabbed Bree's. "And Bree's."

It only spoke. "Activating super-speed. Whoosh-whoosh, whoosh-whoosh."

Again, I got nothing. "Super speed!" I exclaimed, trying to convince them.

"Super no." Bree replied. I sighed and grabbed my own action figure. I pressed the button on the back.

"Calculating GPS coordinates!" It exclaimed. Again, my siblings did not seem to like them nearly as much as I did.

"Chase, how can I put this in a way that won't hurt your feelings?" Adam thought aloud. He took a deep breath. "You're the worst person that has ever been born and this is the biggest waste of time and money that I have ever seen."

Yeah, that wasn't hurtful at all. Note the sarcasm. "Chase, these are no better than the originals." Bree told me.

"Hello? Did you not hear the 'whoosh-whoosh, whoosh-whoosh'?" I demanded.

"Look, if you're going to try and improve these things, at least add some real super-speed to mine. Ooh! And super-agility! Oh! And hair extensions!" Bree exclaimed. Adam and I both stared at her. "Look, I'm just trying to keep it real."

Adam turned to me as she left. "Look, what I think Bree's trying to say is that our fans are awesome, so they deserve action figures that are awesome."

I looked at him, agreeing with him but out of ideas. "But they're toys!" I reminded him. "It's not like I can put actual bionic abilities in them."

"Sure you can." Adam encouraged me. "We have the lab, you have no life. Get to work."

He left, grinning to himself while I was stuck trying to figure out how to give the toys actual abilities.

** Calla's POV **

"I can't believe Mr. Landel gave us so much homework over the Christmas break." Leo complained. I nodded in agreement. It wasn't fair. Usually, I'd be doing my homework with Chase, but he was busy trying to improve their already pretty cool action figures, so I was left with Leo. Not a bad option, but Chase and I would have finished by now if it was the two of us.

"Hey guys. Come here." Mr. Davenport called, carrying a brief case into the room. Exchanging looks, Leo and I did as we were told.

"What's up, Big D?" Leo questioned as Mr. Davenport set the brief case down. He smiled.

"Well, since you guys have been working so hard this year, especially after the world found out about Adam, Bree, and Chase, so I got you guys something." He announced. Grinning ear to ear, we both looked at his briefcase curiously. He pulled out what looked like a mix between a blaster and a t-shirt cannon.

"What is it?" I asked eagerly. Mr. Davenport beamed.

"It's a high-speed snowball launcher." He announced. Leo smirked.

"Well it's a good thing we live in a place where it hasn't snowed in sixty years." He pointed out. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter because this little baby freeze water instantly." He informed us. "All you have to do is fill up the tank and…" He aimed it at the wall, pulled the trigger and a large, white snowball flew at the wall, crashing into it with a thud. "…instant snowball."

Leo grinned. "It's about time you made something useful." He commented. Mr. Davenport chuckled.

"You know, I have two more launchers down in the lab. We can have an epic three-way snowball fight." He offered. Leo and I both looked at him.

"Yes." "It's so rare that the cow volunteers for the slaughter." We commented. Mr. Davenport looked at us.

"Lock and load." He said. We were about to get the other blasters when we heard Tasha call Leo's name. Mr. Davenport quickly changed his sentence. "Run and hide."

He shoved the blaster back into its case as Tasha walked down the stairs, carrying a large bag. "Leo, I hope you don't mind, but I collected some of your old toys for the toy drive."

"Sounds good, take them all." Leo really wanted his mom to leave. "See you later."

His mom smiled, then looked at Mr. Davenport. "Donald, can you pick my mother up from the airport today? I'm just swamped gathering all the donations."

"Yes, absolutely." Mr. Davenport opened the door, ushering Tasha outside. She looked at him suspiciously.

"Absolutely?" She repeated. "Last time I asked, you hid in the laundry hamper."

He looked offended. "Excuse me, but I wedged myself in the laundry chute. There's a difference." He pointed out. Tasha looked at him, amused. "But today I would be happy too."

"Thank you." Tasha replied before leaving. Mr. Davenport closed the door, smiling widely.

"Do anything to get you out of here faster." He finished, opening his case and pulling out his snowball launcher. "Re-lock and reload."

Suddenly, the door opened. Leo jumped on top of the case, closing it, while Mr. Davenport held the snowball launcher behind his back. "Oh and one more thing!"

"Oh!" Mr. Davenport cried out. Judging by the look on his face, he must have shot himself with a snowball. Tasha looked at him and he faked a smile. "Yes dear?"

"Please do not tell my mother about Leo's bionic arm." She pleaded. "She already flipped out about Adam, Bree, and Chase. If she finds out about Leo…I may not outlive her."

Mr. Davenport nodded. "You've got it. Absolutely no mention of Leo's bionic arm to Rose."

Tasha smiled. "Thank you. Bye." This time, she left for good.

The second she was gone, Mr. Davenport removed the snowball launcher from behind his back, shuddering a little. "I thought she'd never leave. Okay, you guys go get the other launchers from the lab."

As we ran towards the lab doors, a sudden cold force hit us from behind. We both stopped, turning around to face a very giddy Davenport. "Sorry, I think those two slipped out."

Leo pulled a bit of snow out of his hoodie. He looked at me and I nodded. "You are about to have a very white Christmas."

Without looking away from him, we each pulled a snowball launcher out from behind the kitchen counter. Mr. Davenport was surprised. "Where did you get those?" He demanded. Leo smirked.

"Do you even know me? I always open my Christmas presents early!" He exclaimed. I locked my snowball launcher and glanced at Leo.

"Team up until we destroy Mr. Davenport?" I suggested. He grinned and nodded. Mr. Davenport paled and ran. We laughed, chasing after him with snowballs flying through the halls.

** Chase's POV **

I stood proudly in front of my action figures. "The Nurble stared down at us from its perch on the number one spot." I began my speech. "But we would not back down. No, we wouldn't! Because we're strong!"

"And bored." Adam added. "Get on with it."

I nodded, not at all bothered by his lack of enthusiasm. "Alright. Now watch what happens when I press this button."

I pressed the button on the back of Adam's action figure and from its eyes shot a blast of heat vision, melting through a piece of sheet metal I'd set up on the other side of the room. "Cool!" Adam grinned. "I wish I could do that."

I grinned. "And check this out." I pressed the button on the back of Bree's action figure and it sped across the room, almost as fast as she could.

"Look at that little mama go!" Bree laughed, delighted. "You are going down Nurble!" She then saw the looks on our faces. "Not that I care, because I don't."

I crossed my arms, a proud smirk on my face. "Watch this." I pressed the button on the back of my action figure and it flew into the air, circling around our heads a few times. '"So realistic, right?"

They both looked at me in confusion. "You can't fly!" Adam pointed out. I glared at him.

"Toy Me can fly, end of discussion." I snapped. Suddenly, Bree stared at something above us.

"Look out!" She cried. We all ducked down low as my action figure flew right at our heads. It missed, but did not go back to the table like I'd planned. "Chase, kids can't play with these toys. They're too dangerous."

I gave her a look. "Come on! They're not that dangerous." Just as I said that, Adam pressed the button on his action figure and a burst of heat vision started burning my hair. He quickly let go of the button as I fixed my hair. "Okay, I see your point."

Bree gave me a look, which I ignored. "Just put them in here." I grabbed a box off the ground and began to drop the toys in it. "I'll get rid of them."

"Aw, but I like mine." Adam objected. He then pressed a button and his own action figure shot heat vision at him. "Ow!" Adam shouted as it burned his chest. "Traitor!"

With an annoyed and angry look on his face, he threw the action figure into the corner of the room. It then chose that moment to spontaneously combust. We watched in surprise. "Yeah, you should probably get rid of those." Adam commented, brushing off his now slightly-burnt shirt.

** Calla's POV **

"Give it up guys!" I heard Mr. Davenport call as he walked down the stairs. Both Leo and I were hiding. He was behind the kitchen counter, while I had ducked under the stairs. Mr. Davenport stepped right into my line of fire. "You can run, but you can't-" two snowballs hit him at the same time, one from in front of him, the other from behind, "hide!"

"Bulls-eye!" I cheered, climbing out of my hiding spot. Leo stood up from behind the counter.

"And that's pretty impressive considering how small the target is." He commented. I laughed along to that, while Mr. Davenport glared at us and aimed his launcher at Leo. Leo aimed back, but stopped when his launcher made a weird noise.

"Time out!" He called. "My launcher's stuck. It's making snowballs, but it's not launching them."

Mr. Davenport smirked. "I'm sorry. All I'm hearing is sitting duck."

"Don't you dare." I aimed my launcher at Mr. Davenport. "Shoot him, and you'll get a face full of snow, sir."

Mr. Davenport spun around, choosing to attack me with the snowballs. Unable to run very far, I ducked beneath the stairs again. "Leo! Some help here would be nice!" I called.

"That's it!" Leo exclaimed. "I don't need this launcher. I have bionics."

The snowballs attacking me stopped. "No fair! You can't use your bionic arm!" Mr. Davenport objected. Suddenly, the door opened just as Leo threw a snowball.

"Bionic arm?" It was Rose Dooley, Leo's grandmother. The snowball that Leo threw flew right by her, putting a hole in the door. We all froze, realizing what we'd just done.

The older woman put a hand on her hip, glaring at Mr. Davenport. As quietly and quickly as I could, I snuck out of under the stairs, only stopping when I was at Leo's side. "Rose!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, pulling out his phone to check the time. "I'm not supposed to pick you up from the airport until…two hours ago."

Leo was freaking outs beside me. "Did I just see what I think I saw?" Rose demanded. Mr. Davenport panicked for an answer.

"If you need me, I'll be in the laundry chute!" He decided, trying to run away. Leo and I stopped him before he could. No way was he getting out of this.

** Chase's POV **

"Hey guys!" I ran back into the lab. "I think I've figured out a way how to top the Nurble. Instead of giving them real bionic abilities, we can just gi-" I looked in the box where our toys should be, but it was empty. "Hey, what happened to the action figures?"

Adam smiled. "I don't know about mine, but yours is probably off somewhere doing homework."

I looked back at the box, confused. "I don't get it, they were right here." I looked at the others for an explanation, then sighed loudly. "Bree, can you get off your phone? This is important!"

"Yeah, I know." She showed us her phone. It was open to Facebook, where Tasha had posted a picture of herself with our action figures. It read: At the toy drive, giving is so much fun.

"No, no!" I exclaimed. "Tasha took our toys to the toy drive! Those things are deadly weapons!"

Adam jumped to his feet. "Don't just stand there Chase! Fly us to school!" Then he stopped. "Oh, wait."

I glared at him before running out the door. We had to get those toys before they hurt anyone.

** Xxx **

We ran into the school, looking around in a panic. "Tasha!" I exclaimed, catching sight of her. She was standing behind a table, Kieran beside her, handing out cookies to some little kids.

"Hey guys. What a wonderful surprise." She smiled when she saw us. Kieran glanced up.

"Hey, are you guys here to volunteer too?" He asked, an easy-going smile on his face. Bree looked at him like he was crazy.

"Of course not!" She snapped. Kieran raised an eyebrow at that, but Bree ignored him, turning to Tasha. "Where are the action figures?"

"I just handed them out to the kids." Tasha replied, gesturing at the gym.

"What?" Bree demanded in horror. "Why would you do that?"

Tasha looked surprised. "I assumed you left them in that old box to donate. The kids just love them. Mostly because we ran out of Nurbles."

Biting my lip, I ran towards the gym. "We have to get them back."

"Why?" Kieran's voice came from behind us. I turned to glare at him, hoping he would go away, but he didn't back down. "If something's wrong, I'd like to help."

"We may have tried and failed to improve them." Bree admitted. Kieran frowned.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Before anyone could answer him, a heat ray burst from one of the Adam action figures, burning away one of the table's legs. It hit the ground, unable to stay up with only three legs. "Never mind."

"This is a disaster!" I snapped angrily. Adam nodded.

"Yep." He agreed. He turned around. "I'm going to go buy a Nurble."

"Don't you dare." Bree grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the gym. Unfortunately, instead of minding his own business and staying out of this, Kieran decided to follow us.

** Calla's POV **

"Bionic arm?! BIONIC ARM?!" Rose screamed at us. We all looked at her, fearful. I could stand up to Douglas, easy. Even to Marcus if he ever came back. But stand up to Leo's grandmother? No way. She scared the shit out of me.

"Leo, I want you to tell me what's going on and don't you lie to me." She ordered. Leo stammered a single word out before she cut him off. "That's a lie."

"Well-"

"That's another lie." She accused. Leo stared for a moment, before fake-tears filled his eyes.

"I'm just a child. I don't know what's going on." He sobbed. Immedietly, his grandmother's expression went from angry to concern. Dang, that boy was good.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Davenport hissed. Leo looked at him from behind his hands.

"She already hates you. I can still get out of this alive!" He whispered back. Rose suddenly pushed Leo and I behind her and advanced on Mr. Davenport.

"What have you done to my sweet grandbaby, you evil little elf?" She demanded furiously. Mr. Davenport looked at her, offended.

"Little?" He repeated, hurt. Rose turned to Leo.

"You know, I knew it was a bad idea for you to live in this crazy, techno-science house with Doctor Jeckle and Mister-" she turned on Mr. Davenport. "You'd better hide!"

"Grandma-" Leo began. She interrupted him.

"Don't you grandma me!" She snapped. I cleared my throat.

"Mrs. Dooley," I tried, only to be interrupted.

"Stay out of this, Kayla!" She snapped.

"It's Calla." I corrected under my breath, but either she ignored me or just didn't hear me.

"He's turned you into some sort of robot-Frankenstein!" Rose cried, looking at Leo. "Look at you! Half human, half phonograph."

"Phonograph?" Leo repeated. I raised my hand nervously. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Yes?" She demanded.

"What's a phonograph?" I asked. She let out a large sigh.

"See! This is the problem with you kids growing up in this kind of environment! You don't know what half the important stuff is and this one-" she gestured at Mr. Davenport, "turns you into freaks!? Did he put some machinery in you too?"

I backed up slightly, shaking my head.

"Rose, I didn't give Leo bionics! It was my brother!" Mr. Davenport explained. Rose spun on her heel to face him.

"Still your flesh and blood! You know what? Let me get my hairdryer. I'm going to put some machinery in you!"

She reached in her bag while Mr. Davenport pulled us both to the side. "Guys, back me up here!" He begged.

"If you resist, it will hurt more. It's better to just give in." Leo suggested.

"Is it also better to just throw me under the bus?" My boss retorted. I looked at him.

"Bus? That woman is a bullet train!" I informed him, dead serious.

"Forget the hairdryer!" We turned to look at Rose. "I found my flatiron. I don't know what it can do, but we're about to find out."

Leo's grandmother had a gleeful look on her face as she chased Mr. Davenport around the house with her flatiron.

** Chase's POV **

The toy fair was a disaster. Heat vision rays were blasting everywhere, Bree action figures were speeding across the floor, and my action figures were like missiles in the air, targeting every child's head.

I leapt into the air, trying to catch one of my action figures, only for it to slip between my fingers. Kieran dove at a Bree action figure, but also missed.

"This isn't working!" He stated the obvious.

I looked at him. "You think?" I demanded before diving behind the sleigh sitting in the middle of the room. Adam, Bree, Kieran and Tasha followed my lead.

"I knew this day would come." Adam spoke before I could. "First the toys attack the humans, then they recruit the refrigerators and microwaves to seal our doom."

"Hey, that would make a pretty good plot to a Toy Story movie." Kieran joked. Adam looked at him.

"We need to stop this!" He shouted. I nodded.

"Obviously the Adam figures are the most dangerous." I said. "So we need to get those out of the kids' hands first."

"The flying Chase's are a close second though. I'll get those for you." Kieran offered. I looked at him.

"Really?" I questioned. He nodded.

"You may not like me, but I can still give you a hand. Besides, I don't want to see one of these kids get hurt." He pointed out. I nodded.

"Neither do I." I growled. "But I just don't see how you can take care of them yourself."

The corners of Kieran's mouth pulled up in a small smile. "I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve." He assured me.

"Uh, guys?" Tasha cut me off before I could ask what kind of tricks he meant. "What's wrong with the Bree figure?"

We looked to see one of the Bree action figures standing nearby, shaking violently. "Oh no. I made them too perfectly." I exclaimed.

"What does that mean?" Tasha demanded.

"She's glitching just like we do." I explained. "The bionics are burning out the motor."

Suddenly, the Bree doll exploded. People started screaming, even the Santa Claus actor. "Okay, change of plans. Bree dolls are more important than mine or Adam's. Go for those first." I instructed. Bree nodded and sped off to find them. Adam ran off to find his and Kieran went to deal with two stray Chase figures that escaped into the hall. I was about to follow him when Tasha grabbed my arm.

"What did you do to these toys?" She demanded. I looked at her innocently.

"Made them better?" I replied uncertainty. She gave me a death glare before running off. I ran to deal with the rest of the dolls in the room.

One of the my action figures focused on me, obviously targeting my head. Thinking quickly, I backed against a wall, jumping away at the last moment. It crashed into the wall, exploding upon contact. "You know what? Let's just get them all!" I decided.

It took us several minutes of dodging and crushing our action figures to get them all. By that point, all the children had fled the room along with Tasha, leaving only me, Adam, and Bree. Frowning, I did a head count. "I only count six. We're missing three."

"Make that eight." Kieran announced, walking back into the room. Two Chase dolls were clutched in his hands, broken. I stared at him, surprised.

"How'd you grab them?" I demanded. It was hard enough for us to stop them and we were bionic. Kieran was just…Kieran.

The boy smiled and tossed them to me. "You're welcome."

"But where's the last one?" Bree questioned, looking around. We heard Adam's voice come from the hall.

"Found him." He called. We stepped into the hall to see a very strange showdown. Real Adam VS Toy Adam.

The two glared at each other, the toy shaking slightly as it glitched. "Adam, be careful." I warned. "He's unstable."

"So am I!" Adam snapped. He looked at the toy. Then, the action figure Adam shot a heat blast at him. The real Adam dropped to the floor, dodging the blast, and then shot a blast at his doll. The toy melted within seconds.

"Nice job!" "You nailed it!" "Way to go!" We all called. Adam ignored us, lifting the pieces of his doll off the ground.

"Why must you always hurt the ones you love?" He asked sadly.

Suddenly, Tasha appeared behind us. "I'm going to need you guys to clean this up." She decided, gesturing at the mostly destroyed gym.

Adam looked at her. "Tasha, it's Christmas. Stop thinking about what you need and start thinking about others." He advised. The death glare was his only response.

"Let's just do as she asks." Bree suggested. We nodded and began to follow her into the gym.

"I'll be right there!" I called after her, pulling Kieran off to the side.

"What's up?" He asked, confused. I sighed.

"Thank you for your help, but we've got it from here." I told him. Kieran gave me a look.

"Seriously dude? What's your problem?" He questioned, crossing his arms. "I don't know what I did to get on your bad side, but I can't apologize unless you tell me."

I shook my head, not answering him. Then he let out a short laugh. "Oh, wait, I know what this is about." He said. "This is about Calla."

"Leave her out of this." I told him. He nodded.

"So, I'm right." He decided. He sighed. "Chase, if you think I'm trying to take her from you, or that I even have those kinds of feelings for her, I don't. She's my friend, but that's it. I'm not trying to get in the middle of you two, and if you feel that I am, I'm sorry."

I sighed. "You give me bad vibes." I began.

"Clearly." Kieran agreed. "Not sure why though. Was it something I did?"

"I'm not sure either." I admitted. " But until I figure that out, I don't trust you around Calla."

"She doesn't like being told what to do, you know that." He reminded me. I nodded.

"I know. So, I figured we'd make a deal." I continued. Kieran looked curious.

"What kind of deal?" He asked, intrigued.

"I'll try to give you the benefit of the doubt that you're just a normal kid and that the bad vibes are nothing but my imagination." I started. Kieran smiled.

"I'm liking this deal." He told me. I raised an eyebrow.

"But if you ever hurt Calla in any way, I will come after you." I promised him. He gave me a look.

"Do you threaten everyone on Christmas, or am I just special?" He asked. I narrowed my eyes at him. "It's a deal."

"You sure?" I challenged. He nodded, frowning.

"Chase, in case you haven't noticed, Calla's my friend. And I don't intentionally hurt my friends." He pointed out. "So we good?"

I thought about it, then nodded. "We're good." I agreed, heading into the gym.

** Calla's POV **

After about twenty minutes, Rose was still trying to use her flatiron on Mr. Davenport. "Leo, Calla, help! Tell her it's not my fault!" My boss cried, trying to escape her. I looked at Leo.

"She won't listen to me, I'm not her grandbaby." I reminded him. Rose glared at Mr. Davenport.

"You can blame whomever you want, but this only happened because of one reason." She stated.

"Because you overreacted and have anger issues?" Mr. Davenport guessed.

"No." Rose wasn't amused. "You're a bad father."

We all stared at her, for much different reasons. I was surprised that she would go that far. Mr. Davenport actually looked hurt by her statement. As for Leo…well Leo looked really upset.

"What?" He questioned, stepping forward. Rose looked at him.

"You heard me! He's a bad father." She exclaimed. Leo sighed.

"Okay, that's it." He decided. "Grandma, you can yell at him for a lot of things. He's egotistical, immature-"

"Handsome." Mr. Davenport added.

"-delusional." Leo continued. "But my point is he's not a bad father."

"It's okay, Leo." Mr. Davenport assured him, but he did seem really bothered by the comment.

"No, it's not." Leo argued. Rose looked at Leo.

"Don't you dare talk back to your grandmother. That is disrespectful!" She snapped. I honestly expected Leo to back off. I mean, I've seen Rose tell him what to do and scare him hundreds of times before. But this time, it was different.

"What's disrespectful is you still treating me like I'm seven." He pointed out.

Rose scoffed. "So, what are you now, eight?"

Leo sighed. "I'm sixteen." He told her.

"Sixteen?" She repeated, stunned. She then shrugged. "Well you look eight."

Leo followed her as she went to put the flatiron back in her bag. "Look Grandma, he is the best father I could ask for. And yes, I have a bionic arm because of his technology. But that technology will also allow me to help people."

"How?" Rose questioned.

"Well I could lift a car off of someone. I could punch through a wall and rescue some people." He listed. "I could power you through the lines of shoppers on Boxing Day."

"Keep talking." Rose urged him. I bit back a chuckle.

"Look, I'm not a little boy anymore. So I'm not going to walk on eggshells around you for the rest of my life." He told her. She looked at him, surprised.

"Wait a minute, are you standing up to your grandmother?" She questioned, getting in his face.

"Yes I am." He agreed, trying to back up a little. "If you're okay with that." He added.

To all of our surprise, Rose smile. "I guess you have become a man." She murmured. "Look, I still don't approve of you having that bionic arm, but I love you so I guess I'll just have to learn to accept it. And we will be going shopping on Boxing Day."

"Definitely." Leo promised her. She smiled.

"Come here." She instructed, pulling him into a big hug.

"Thanks Grandma." Leo said, pulling away a second later. "But I think the person you should really be hugging is him."

He gestured at Mr. Davenport, who held his arms out. "Bring it in, Rose." He smiled. Rose sighed.

"Well, it is Christmas." She decided before hugging him. Then she turned to Leo.

"Tell me one thing, Leo. Why did you need a bionic arm in the first place?" She asked. I grinned, leaning forward against the kitchen counter.

"Well, it's a long story. A ceiling beam fell on him while a bionic madman was trying to kill us for the third time." I explained. Then I saw the looks on their faces. "Oh. I wasn't supposed to tell her that, was I?"

"Give me that gun!" Rose pulled the snowball launcher out of Mr. Davenport's hands. "You're about to eat a whole lot of snowballs."

She once again began to chase him through the house. Suddenly, my phone vibrated. Glancing at the caller ID, I answered.

"K-Dog!" I grinned. "What's up?"

" _Hey Calla, are you busy?"_ Kieran asked.

"No, just hanging out with Leo. Why, what's up?" I inquired.

" _I think you should come down to the school. And bring a camera."_  There was a smile in his voice.

"Why?" I asked, confused.

" _You're going to want to see what Chase is doing."_  He told me before hanging up.

I looked at Leo, confused, then grabbed my coat.

** Chase's POV **

Since it was our fault that the toy drive was ruined, we came up with an idea to cheer the kids up. Maybe not my best idea, but it was a good one. Real-life action figures.

Adam was letting the kids direct his laser vision at plastic Frisbees. Bree was giving kids piggy back rides across the highway. As for me, kids were grabbing at my arms, trying to make me fly.

"For the last time, I can't fly!" I exclaimed. The kids rolled their eyes and ran off to find Bree and Adam, leaving me alone. Suddenly, there was a tug on my hand.

"Mister Chase?" It was a little girl with blonde hair, maybe around the age of five. She looked up at me, her blue eyes large.

"Hi there." I greeted. She frowned.

"You said you can't fly." She told me. I nodded.

"Sorry about that." I apologized. She frowned, then grinned widely.

"Can I have a ride on your shoulders instead?" She begged, cocking her head to the side like a cat. I chuckled, then nodded.

"Sure thing." I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up onto my shoulders. She grinned, her hands lying on top of my head. Suddenly, there was a bright flash.

"Calla?" I blinked, staring at my girlfriend. She was grinning, a camera in front of her eyes.

"Say cheese!" She called, pressing the button.

"Cheese!" The little girl smiled back. Calla looked at the photo.

"Okay, that's a keeper." She decided.

"Emily!" A voice called from the hall. The girl tapped my head.

"That's my mommy" She informed me. I nodded and set her down on her feet. Instead of running off, she pulled me close and whispered in my ear. "Your girlfriend is really pretty."

I chuckled, looking up at said girl. "I know." I agreed, watching as Emily ran off to find her mom. Calla elbowed me gently in the ribs.

"That was adorable." She told me. I nodded.

"Yeah, cute kid." I agreed. Calla smiled.

"I always liked the name Emily." She commented. "If we have a daughter, we're naming her Emily."

"Yes m'am." I agreed. Calla laughed, grabbed my hand, and started pulling me down the hall. "You want to tell me where we're going?" I asked, still smiling.

Calla looked back at me, a playful look in her blue eyes. "You and I are going to find some mistletoe. And then maybe a closet to make out in."

"Sounds fun." I replied. Despite everything that had happened, this Christmas had ended pretty well.


	10. Mission: Invisible

** Chase's POV **

"More reporters?" Leo complained as Mr. Davenport drove past our house. Since it had been six months since the world found out about our bionics, and since they'd been working so hard to deal with the new situation, Tasha had suggested we go out for dinner. We'd picked up Calla along the way and went to Montana's, one of the best restaurants nearby. But now that we were home, we could see the lights of reporter trucks at the front of the house.

"Why don't we drop Calla off at her house, Donald?" Tasha suggested. "Maybe they'll be gone by time we get back."

"Tasha, it's fine. I can walk." Calla offered. Tasha shook her head.

"I don't want you two trying to get past them on your own." She told the younger girl. None of us really disagreed. Like me, Calla and Jaden had been getting some of the press' attention for being so close to our family. It had been worse at the beginning, when some reporters had tried to interview them on what it was like dating bionic people, and of course, the whole kidnapping thing with Kieran. Although it had cooled down a bit, it was still a little crazy. Calla sighed in defeat.

"This is ridiculous." She commented, looking at the lights over my shoulder. She smiled softly. "I can't believe it's been six months though."

"I know." Bree agreed. She looked at the rest of us. "Remember all those times that we struggled to keep it a secret?"

We all nodded, remembering a specific time when Principal Perry nearly found out…

** FLASHBACK **

** Calla's POV **

I groaned in frustration when I saw the size of the line in the school hobby. Principal Perry had recently introduced a new system in which she personally searched out bags for cell phones and other 'forbidden' items. Now, I could understand if she suspected that one of us had drugs or a weapon, but she was obviously just doing this to make our lives miserable.

"This is ridiculous." Bree complained as I got into line behind her. I nodded in agreement, pulling my cell phone out of my bag and shoving it into the pocket on the inside of my jacket. No way was I letting Perry steal this from me. Bree nodded at me. "Good idea." She commented, putting her phone in her back pocket. We watched as Leo handed his bag over to our principal.

She ripped it open and pulled out his cell phone. "Aha! Cell phones are a violation!"

Leo looked at her. "I think you sticking your hand in my backpack is also a violation."

Perry ignored his comment. "Planning on texting your girlfriend in class?"

"I don't have a girlfriend." He pointed out. Perry nodded.

"Well now you don't have a cell phone either." She tossed it into the bucket to her left. "Bye-bye."

With a sigh, Leo stepped out of line to walk over to Adam and Chase. Bree was next. She smirked at Perry as she placed her bag on the table. "You're not going to want anything in here. It's just stuff that improves your hygiene and appearance."

I bit back a chuckle, although Perry didn't seem to find it as amusing as we did. "Mocking my porcelain Irish skin?" She questioned. "Back of the line, princess!"

Glaring at Perry, Bree grabbed her backpack and stormed to the back of the line. I placed my bag on the table, forcing myself not to make a smart-ass comment. Perry began to open it just as a large gust of wind blew from behind us. Perry frowned. "Where'd that breeze come from?" She asked. I watched as Bree suddenly appeared next to her brothers and sighed.

"I have no idea, Principal Perry. Can I go now?" I asked impatiently. She sighed and shoved my bag back into my hands. I ran over to join my friends as soon as I was out of the line.

"Seriously, can we put a bell on her?" Leo was saying. Chase nodded.

"Yeah. You need to be more careful about your super agility. Someone's going to see you using your bionics." He warned.

"No one ever sees me!" Bree objected. "I mean, you didn't see me steal your wallet."

She held up a wallet just as Chase checked his pockets. He glared at her. "Oh, you're good." He admitted, swiping back his wallet. He looked inside, then at her. "Okay, there was a fifty dollar bill in her a few minutes ago. What did you do with it?"

Before Bree could answer, Principal Perry stalked over to us. "Hey!" She exclaimed, looking directly at Bree. "How'd you get past my checkpoint? I sent you to the back of the line!"

Bree bit her lip nervously. "That wasn't me." She lied.

"It must have been somebody else." Chase agreed, trying to help her out. Adam nodded.

"Somebody who can't climb ceilings." He told her. Perry gave us all harsh looks.

"You lot have an answer for everything, don't you?" She asked. Chase and I exchanged looks, then smirked.

"We don't like to brag, but the answer to that is…" I pointed at Chase.

"Yes." He finished. Perry didn't look amused.

"There's one thing I pride myself on." She began. Bree interrupted her before she could finish.

"Your incredible sturdy calves?" She suggested.

"No!" Perry glared at her. "My instincts. And my instincts are telling me that you three are trouble."

Adam looked offended. "Well, I don't like your instincts at all. And you can tell them I said that."

I sighed, mentally reminding myself to explain what instincts were to Adam later. "Principal Perry, they really aren't doing anything wrong." I told her. She gave me a look.

"I can't put my finger on it, but ever since they arrived, strange things have been happening here. And the only strange thing I'll tolerate is the janitor, Gary."

We looked at the bearded man mopping the floor. "Why?" Leo dared to ask.

"I have to." Perry sighed. "He's my cousin."

We watched as a bunch of repair men walked in, carrying toolkits and a ladder. "What's going on?" I asked, confused.

"They're ventilation repair men. They've come to check on the strange winds that have been blowing around here for months." Perry explained, running over to talk to them. We all turned on Bree, the source of these 'strange winds'.

"She's talking about you." Chase hissed. "You're the mysterious wind."

Bree rolled her eyes. "The only mysterious wind around here comes from Adam."

Just then, Jaden walked over to us, looking slightly peeved. I looked at my older brother, confused as to what would put him in such a bad mood. "What's up, Jay?"

He grimaced. "Guess what tonight is." He told me. I frowned.

"I'm guessing that it's not taco night." I guessed. He shook his head.

"Parent Teacher night." He informed me. "Which means tomorrow is 'we're all grounded' day."

Leo and I both groaned in annoyance, while Adam, Bree, and Chase looked confused. Of course they were – they'd never even heard of Parent Teacher night before. "You've got to be kidding me." Leo complained. I patted his shoulder.

"Relax, I've got money stashed in my locker for emergencies like this. We'll go buy them all apples or something during break." I assured him. I nodded at my brother. "Thanks for the heads up. Are we doing the usual?"

Jaden nodded. "Yep." He looked over my shoulder. "Oh, gotta go. There's a new cheerleader at the school, Melanie, and Trent wants me to get rid of her annoying friends so he can flirt with her."

I shook my head as he ran off. Leo looked at me. "What was that last bit about?"

"Oh, whenever there's a Parent Teacher night coming up, Jaden and I cook dinner for our mom and make sure all the chores are done. Tends to get us a more lenient punishment for whatever our teachers say about us."

Leo nodded in understanding, but the others still looked confused. "What the heck is Parent Teacher night?" Chase looked genuinely worried, as he should.

"It's when teachers tell your parents every bad thing you've done." Leo explained. I nodded.

"Yeah. Forgetting homework, skipping class…" I glanced at Leo, a smirk appearing on my lips. "Staging a protest for better bathroom soap."

"Hey!" Leo snapped. "You're all benefiting from my rebellion."

For once, it was Adam that pointed out a serious issue. "If Perry tells Davenport about the strange things she's seen, he'll know we've been using our bionics and he'll pull us out for sure."

"Then we can't give her any evidence." Chase decided. "No one uses their bionics. That means no super strength, no heat vision, and no super speed."

Both Adam and Bree looked at him in annoyance. "Well that's just crazy!" Bree objected. "What do you expect me to do, walk?"

"Kinda, yeah." Chase replied. Leo just looked at them.

"Just do what I do – kiss up to all your teachers." He suggested. "My mom said that if they all have nice things to say about me-"

"Well, that's never going to happen." I muttered.

"-she's going to let me go to the big concert I've been looking forward to, the Rift Raft Jammy Jam!"

Leo danced a little when saying it's name, getting the others excited. Too excited in Chase's case.

"I want to go to the Rift Raft Jammy Jam!" He exclaimed, beginning to dance. It wasn't terrible at first, but as he continued, it became unbearable to look at. I grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"Not with moves like that." I told him. Suddenly, Leo smirked.

"Watch this." He whispered. "Miss Wompkins?!"

Our history teacher stopped at the sound of her name, and Leo grinned. "Wow, that hair cut is really working for you." He told her, sounding sincere. "I thought you were Angelina Jolie!"

"Thank you, Leo!" She smiled at him before walking into the cafeteria. Leo looked back at us.

"That should be good for a C+." He decided. Chuckling, I rolled my eyes.

"We're still buying everyone apples, aren't we?" I guessed. He nodded.

"Yep." He agreed.

** Chase's POV **

Adam, Bree, Calla and I watched in amusement as Leo bribed his first period, second period and fourth period teachers with shiny, red apples. It was pathetic, it really was. But rather amusing for us at the same time. Meanwhile, the food line we were in didn't seem to be moving any faster.

"Gross!" Adam suddenly complained. We turned to see him glaring at his hotdog. "This hotdog isn't even hot! And don't get me started on the fact that it's not even a dog!"

He glared at it again, and for a second I thought he was going to throw it away, but then two beams of deadly hot heat vision burst from his eyes. "Hey!" Calla exclaimed, smacking him upside the head.

"Ow!" Adam complained. "Chase, keep your girlfriend under control!"

"We're not dating!" We both exclaimed in unison. I looked at him sternly. "No heat vision. Principal Perry is watching us like a hawk."

Glancing over our shoulders, we could see Perry glaring at us from the middle of the cafeteria. Bree groaned in annoyance when we turned back.

"I've been standing in lines all day! I just want pizza! Not being able to use my superspeed whenever I want is killing me!" She complained. "That's it. I'm speeding to the front."

"No! Bree, control yourself!" Calla snapped. Then she glanced at us, seeming to realize that our sister wasn't going to listen. "Do something! Shut her off!"

Bree started forward, only to be restrained by Adam and I. Calla nodded at us, then ran over to distract Perry, Leo following her despite not knowing what was going on. Meanwhile, we dragged/carried a very uncooperative Bree out of the room.

"Stop it! Put me down!" Bree cried, struggling in our grasp. She kicked her legs out, hoping to make contact with the ground, but Adam and I made sure she couldn't run. "I just want pizza!"

"Well you're not getting any!" Adam retorted as we dropped her onto the ground. Her reached into his pocket and pulled out his own lunch. "But I can offer you this half eaten, ice cold hot dog."

Calla chuckled as she and Leo walked into the lobby. "Bree, I'll buy you a Kit-Kat from the vending machine, if it'll make you happy." The brunette offered, pulling some coins out from her pocket. Leo pushed her out of the way on the way to the vending machine.

"Forget Kit-Kats, I'm getting me a Three Musketeers bar." He decided, forcing Calla to wait behind him while he got his snack.

Suddenly, an odd creaking noise hit my ears. Frowning, I looked at my siblings. "Do you guys hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" Bree frowned, confused. I focused in on the noise, trying to locate its source with my bionic hearing. I followed the source of the sound to the vent…the vent sitting right above Calla and Leo.

"Guys, watch out!" Bree shouted. Both of our friends looked at us, then upwards as the noise grew loud enough for them to hear.

"AHHH!" "Shit." They managed to say before the vent fell. Adam and Bree rushed forward, the latter pushing Calla and Leo safely out of the way while the former caught the massive air conditioner before it could hit either of them. Adam dropped it onto the ground as we ran over to the others.

Leo was still lying on his back, giggling hysterically. Meanwhile Calla had pushed herself up, pushing back her bangs with one hand as she stared at the spot where she and Leo had been moments before. "Are you alright?" I asked gently, holding my hand out to her. She nodded after a moment, then glanced up at me.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She breathed. Then, as if to reassure me that she really was alright, she let out a soft chuckle. "Things like that are the reason I keep you around, bionic boy."

I chuckled at the sound of the nickname. "I'll take that as a thank you." I replied, helping her up. Meanwhile, Bree had pulled Leo to his feet as well. Thankfully, he had calmed down from his little giggling fit.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SCHOOL?!" We all turned at the sound of Perry's too furious voice. Calla narrowed her eyes at our principal.

"We're okay. Thanks for asking." She growled sarcastically. Perry glared at her, but Adam intervened before an argument could break out.

"It's not our fault!" He exclaimed. "The air conditioner fell from the ceiling!"

Perry followed his gaze. "But if it crashed from a hole up there, how did it end up unbroken on the floor over here?" She demanded.

"Well it's not because I caught it and put it there." Adam replied nervously. Perry glared at us.

"You did this." She accused. "You sabotaged my vents."

"It wasn't us!" "It sure wasn't!" "Do I look like a sabatuesetor to you?" We replied. Perry nodded.

"Alright, fine. I'll just see what happened when I watch the video footage." She replied. We all froze, except for Adam.

"See? It's okay because-wait, the video what-age?" He demanded, finally catching on. Oh man, we were in some serious trouble. All of us had used our bionics. All of us were on film. If she watched that video, our secret would be blown.

"That's right. I had surveillance cameras installed." She pointed at the Dingo emblem on the wall, where a small camera lens was pocking out of Dewy the Dingo's eye. "And I'm going to find out exactly what happened. And when I do, you're all going down!"

"Calla, apple me." Leo instructed, holding out his hand. Confused, Calla gave him a shiny red apple and he walked over to Principal Perry. "Perhaps a honey crisp will change your mind?"

Perry grabbed the apple, took a massive bite out of it, slammed it down in Leo's hand, and walked away. Clearly, she still planned on watching the video. Leo stared at the apple, then turned back to us. "How many rows of teeth does this woman have?" He demanded, showing us the apple.

** Calla's POV **

"What are we going to do?" I muttered to myself. Despite the fact that it was a rhetorical question, Adam felt the need to answer it.

"We have to stop Principal Perry from watching that recording or she's going to see all three of us using our bionics."

"Whatever we do, we can not panic." Chase said, his voice steady. "Just stay calm."

"We are calm." Bree told him. Chase jumped to his feet, eyes wide.

"Well you shouldn't be!" He shouted, completely losing his composure. "We're in crisis!"

He began to pace. I sighed and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. "Panicking won't help." I told him gently. He nodded to show that he understood, but he still looked like he was freaking out.

"Guys, what's the big deal if she sees us using our bionics and tells Davenport? I mean, he already knows." Adam pointed out. Chase's face suddenly lit up.

"Why don't we just sneak into Perry's office and steal the hard drive?" He suggested. Bree looked at him.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" She asked. I gasped, getting my own idea.

"Invisibility cloak!" I exclaimed.

"We go to Mission Creek High, not Hogwarts." Leo pointed out. "This ain't Harry Potter, Calla."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, obviously. But Mr. Davenport's been working on his own invisibility cloak."

"Does it work?" Chase asked, looking at me. I nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I was using it last night to pull pranks on Jaden. Works like a charm." I assured him. Chase nodded.

"Great idea." He told me. "Bree, you race home and get it."

She nodded and sped off. Leo looked at us. "Okay, so while she's gone-" Bree skidded to a stop in front of us, a backpack on her back. "And she's back."

"We'd better hurry." I warned them, checking my watch. Chase nodded.

"Calla's right. Parent Teacher night will start soon. Mr. Davenport will be here any minute." He agreed. "One of us has to get that hard drive."

Suddenly, all eyes were on Leo and I. I groaned. "Why us? This is your problem!"

"We're only in this mess because we saved your life." Chase pointed out.

"Besides, if we get caught, Davenport will pull us out of school." Adam told us. Bree nodded.

"Leo, he's not going to pull you out because you're useless to him." Bree told us. "And he can't pull Calla out, so it has to be one of you."

"Fine." Leo and I agreed. I looked at the younger boy. "Only one of us can wear it, you know."

He nodded. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

Seconds later, Leo was pulling the invisibility cloak on, his paper having lost to my scissors. He quickly pressed the button to activate it, and soon the only part of him that we could see was his head. He grinned excitedly. "Follow the bouncing Leo!" He called. His head bounced towards the office, then disappeared completely as he pulled the hood up.

We laughed, watching as he went. "What an airhead." Adam commented, making us all laugh harder.

** Chase's POV **

"Where is he?" I complained, checking my watch. Leo should have been in and out of there already. Adam, Calla and I were sitting on the stairs, waiting impatiently for him to return while Bree had left to get some gum. Suddenly, Calla let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm going to go see if he's in trouble." She decided, getting up.

"Be careful." I cautioned. "Don't get caught."

I didn't want to see her get into trouble on our behalf. Calla just sent me a smirk. "Please. I never get caught." She declared, heading towards Perry's office.

We waited a couple of minutes, but neither one of our friends returned. "Is Leo not back yet?" Bree asked, walking back over to us. "What is taking Leo so long?"

"Taking Leo so long to do what?" We turned to see Mr. Davenport and Calla walking over to us.

"To go out and get a job." I lied. They both looked at me, confused. "Hey, the kid's got to leave the nest sometime."

"Don't tell me your kids are already talking about leaving home too." A woman in her thirties with dark brown hair and brown eyes walked over, a small smirk on her lips. It took me a second, but I soon realized that it was the same smirk I'd seen Calla wear hundreds of times. "My daughter was just talking about universities last week. She's only sixteen, for goodness sakes."

"Well, the smart ones always plan ahead." Mr. Davenport agreed. He looked at us. "Oh, right. Guys, this is Nicole Parker, Calla's mother."

"Oh, nice to meet you m'am." I greeted, shaking her hand. She smiled at me.

"I'm guessing you're Chase?" She assumed. I nodded and she looked at the others. "Adam and Bree, right?"

"Calla talks about us at home?" Adam seemed surprised. Mrs. Parker nodded.

"Yeah, quite a bit actually. And I believe Jaden's mentioned you from time to time as well. Mostly about convincing Adam to join the team and I believe he was just talking about you the other day, Bree." She replied. Bree let out a surprised giggle, as most girls did whenever a football player gave them attention. It was sorta pathetic, but I did have to admit Jaden wasn't like the rest of the jocks here at school. For one, he didn't try to bully the intellectuals into doing his homework for him. "By the way, have you guys seen Calla anywhere? Jaden's off talking to his coach, but I haven't seen her since this morning."

Just then, Perry stormed out of her office, dragging Leo and Calla with her. So much for never getting caught.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO, BUT I DO KNOW ONE THING-" Perry broke off mid-shout to greet a parent, "Hello, welcome." She greeted before turning back to our friends, "IF I EVER CATCH EITHER OF YOU IN MY OFFICE AGAIN, I WILL BREAK EVERY SINGLE- help yourself to the cheese and crackers," she faked a smile at another set of parents, "BONE IN YOUR BODIES!"

"Mom!" Calla exclaimed, leaping out of Perry's grasp. She and Leo ducked behind the adults as Mrs. Parker, Tasha and Mr. Davenport approached our principal. Calla looked at us, wide eyed. "HELP ME." She mouthed silently.

"Is there something wrong, Principal Perry?" Mrs. Parker questioned. Perry nodded.

"I caught these troublemakers sneaking into my office." She announced. Tasha and Mrs. Parker looked at their children.

"Leo, what were you doing sneaking into this nice woman's office?" Tasha asked.

"I wasn't sneaking into a nice woman's office, I was sneaking into her office." Leo corrected. His mom gave him a look. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."

"Maybe Calla can." Mrs. Parker looked at our blue eyed friend. Calla bit her lip, her mind obviously rushing to find a suitable excuse.

"I can't tell you what Leo was doing in her office, but I was trying to get him out of it." She explained. Hey, it wasn't a lie. Calla's mom didn't look impressed, but then she sighed.

"Apologize to Principal Perry." She instructed. Calla nodded and looked at Perry.

"I am sorry for sneaking into your office. It won't happen again, I swear." She said through gritted teeth. Anyone could tell that she really didn't want to apologize. Perry nodded.

"Detention on Monday." She instructed. Calla groaned.

"Yes m'am." She agreed reluctantly. Mr. Davenport looked at us.

"You guys know anything about this?" He questioned. We all shook our heads.

"Nope." "Not a clue." "They're working alone." We replied. Calla and Leo glared at us, clearly thinking the same word: Traitors.

Tasha turned to Leo. "I am very disappointed in you Leo. You are not going to that concert."

Leo looked distraught. "What? But I-"

"No."

"But they-"

"No."

"But fine." Leo sighed in defeat. Perry looked at the adults.

"Why don't we go into the gym and I can show you the rope Leo can't climb? Then I'll show you what Calla did to the chemistry lab yesterday."

"It wasn't supposed to explode! I blame Adam!" Calla defended herself. As Leo and the others left, she stepped back to talk to us. "Get that hard drive. Now."

"Calla!" Mrs. Parker shouted. Calla grimaced.

"Coming Mom!" She called. She glanced back at us before leaving. "Now." She repeated, following her mom into the gym.

** Calla's POV **

Well, today was going great. First, an air conditioner nearly kills me, then I get caught trying to sneak Leo out of Perry's office. And now, it was time for the adults to talk about us delinquents.

Leo, Tasha, and Mr. Davenport had been in there for about five minutes already, and without any idea where Adam, Bree, or Chase were, I was bored. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure my mom was occupied, then slipped into the office to see what I was missing.

"Let's start with the tall one." Perry was saying. I hid myself behind the fern outside her office, too far for anyone to see me, but close enough to see and hear everything.

"Adam." Tasha confirmed. Perry nodded.

"Or, as I like to call him, empty box on a neck." She replied. Rolling my eyes, I was about to leave when something on the ceiling caught my eye. No, wait. Not something. Someone.

Bree was sitting upside down on the ceiling, clinging to it with her very strange ability. According to Mr. Davenport, her ability to do that had something to do with her super agility, but it seemed way too Spiderman-like for that. She saw me staring and waved at me, a nervous look in her eyes and the hard drive in her hand. "You've got to be kidding me." I muttered, rubbing my face with my hand.

Suddenly, her gum fell out of her mouth. Leo, obviously knowing that she was up there, reached out and caught it in his hand, everyone staring at him in confusion. He noticed the looks and made a very hard decision. One I would never make myself. "Almost dropped my gum." He lied, putting Bree's gum in his mouth with a grimace.

"Hey! No gum in school!" Perry exclaimed after he closed his mouth. She held up the garbage can next to her desk. "Spit it out."

"You couldn't have said that two seconds ago?" Leo questioned before doing as he was told. Suddenly, there was a light clang and Bree's pink flower hair barrette fell onto the desk. Luckily, Perry wasn't watching, but everyone else in the room looked up and stared at her. It was clear that neither Davenport nor Tasha knew Bree was even in the room. They all started arguing silently, until Perry turned back to them.

"Where'd that come from?" Perry demanded, pointing at the barrette. Mr. Davenport panicked for a moment, then came up with a not-so-clever lie.

"That is…uh…mine. It's for windy days." He lied, putting the barrette in his hair. Perry looked at him, but he continued in a business like fashion. "You were saying?"

I pulled out my phone, taking a quick picture to show the other employees. It was hilarious. I didn't know how he was able to keep a straight face with it in his hair, but it was impressive.

Perry shook her head, getting back to the matter at hand. "Why tell you when I can show you? Where's that hard drive" She asked, looking around for the hard drive. She turned her back to find it, and everyone began silently arguing again. They all stopped when Perry turned back. "Don't go anywhere or else!" Perry snapped. Everyone looked at her, a little surprised that she was threaten an adult. Kids, sure, but parents? Perry quickly changed her attitude. "I mean please make yourselves comfortable."

Perry walked past my hiding spot to head into the secretary's office and I ducked into the main office. "So, what I miss?" I asked casually. Davenport ignored me and looked up at Bree.

"Get down here now!" He ordered. She jumped to the ground, looking nervous. "What is going on?"

"It's a long story." Bree replied.

"Talk fast!" Mr. Davenport hissed. Bree nodded.

"So we were hanging out in the hallway when Chase said 'Do you guys hear that?' and I was like 'move!' and Adam was like 'I got this' and then we used our bionics to save Calla and Leo from being pancaked by an air conditioner. The bad news is that cameras recorded everything and it's all on this hard drive."

"Oh, is that all?" Mr. Davenport didn't look too impressed, although he didn't seem that angry either.

"And we borrowed your invisibility cloak, so your million dollar, top secret technology might be ruined." I added. "But yeah, that's about it."

"Okay, give me the hard drive – we have to get rid of it." Mr. Davenport instructed as we heard Perry's voice. "Now both of you hide!"

Knowing better than to argue, we returned to our hiding spots. I seriously couldn't understand how Perry didn't notice Bree, but hey, it worked out for us. Our principal walked past my hiding spot and back into the office, immediately catching sight of the hard drive still in Mr. Davenport's hands. "Found it?" Mr. Davenport lied.

"Oh, I could kiss you." Perry beamed. Mr. Davenport gulped.

"Please don't." He begged. She grabbed the hard drive and headed to the computer. I leaned forward to get a better view, only for two idiots to trip over me.

"Ow!" "Watch it!" "Calla?!" We all exclaimed. Perry came into the hall to see Adam, Chase and I sprawled on the ground.

"Hi." I greeted nervously, knowing full well that we were busted.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Perry demanded. Adam gulped nervously.

"Oops, this isn't the men's room." He tried in vain to lie his way out of this. It occurred to me then that we did a lot of lying.

"Why would I be sitting in the men's room?" Perry demanded. Chase shrugged.

"Because anything else would be un-ladylike?" He joked. Grabbing us by our arms, Perry hauled us to our feet and forced us into the office.

"Sit." She ordered. Her tone was so fierce that we all listened instantly, Chase and I plopping down on the couch while Adam sat cross-legged on the floor. Perry rolled her eyes and started to attach the hard drive to the computer. She ducked beneath her desk to attach the final wire, giving us the chance to talk/scheme.

"Quick, crush that hard drive!" Mr. Davenport told Adam. Adam shook his head.

"You told us never to use bionics in school." He reminded his dad. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"And yet here we are!" He hissed. "Forget what I said and crush it!"

Perry started to get up then, and it was obvious that Adam would need a distraction. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew across the room as Bree leapt down from the ceiling, giving Adam the perfect opportunity. While Perry was distracted by the flying papers and files, the older boy grabbed it in his hands and crushed it before placing it back where it had been.

When the wind died down, Perry was shocked to say the least. "One of you did this!" She accused. She started pointing at Adam, Chase, Leo and I. "You, you, you, or you!"

"I was standing here the whole time! I didn't see anything!" Mr. Davenport came to our defence. Perry was pissed.

"This is not over!" She declared. Mr. Davenport gave her a look.

"Oh, I think it is." He told her. "Air conditioning units falling from our of nowhere, illegal backpack searchers, recording students without consent! Does the school board know about any of this?"

We all grinned at the look on Perry's face. She was beaten and she knew it. "I…They…" Perry sighed. "Like I was saying, let's put this whole thing behind us."

"Let's." Mr. Davenport agreed before turning back to us. I nodded at him in respect.

"Way to lawyer up, sir." I complimented. He smirked.

"Let's go." He told us, leading us all out of the office. Bree was waiting outside.

"Well?" She asked impatiently. Chase smiled.

"The hard drive's been destroyed." He assured her. Bree grinned.

"Awesome!" She exclaimed.

** Chase's POV **

After giving Mr. Davenport a long explanation for why we had to use our bionics at school (apparently Bree's explanation wasn't long or detailed enough) he nodded.

"Well, I think my first Parent Teacher night was a huge success. Mainly because I will never be asked to go again. Point Davenport!" He high fived Adam and Bree, who were sitting on top of the counter in the lab. Calla and I were sitting in chairs in front of them, while Leo was still at the school.

"So, are we in trouble?" Bree asked, concerned about today's incident. Mr. Davenport shook his head.

"I'm going to let this one slide." He decided. "Because you guys did save Calla and Leo from being crushed by an air conditioner."

"Yeah, thanks again." I commented. "Being killed by air conditioning…that would be a terrible way to go."

Mr. Davenport chuckled, nodding his agreement. "Besides, it's not like you guys have ever used your bionics at school before, right?"

"Never." "Ever." "Sometimes." We replied. Bree, Calla and I gave Adam a silencing look, but Mr. Davenport didn't question his response.

Suddenly, the doors to the lab opened and Leo and Tasha walked in, the former carrying a bag in one hand. He didn't look happy. "Where have you been?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"Well, since I couldn't tell Principal Perry the truth, I had to clean every bathroom in the school." Leo replied. Calla smirked and bit back a laugh, knowing that she had narrowly escaped a horrific punishment by agreeing to the detention. Out of the options, she'd made the best choice. "I scrubbed, I scraped. I got a little nauseous, but luckily I was in the bathroom, so that worked out."

He looked down at his bag and handed it to Mr. Davenport. "Oh, here's your invisibility cloak back. Sorry it's wet – I used it as a mop."

Adam sighed and slid off the counter. "Guys, thanks for having our backs."

I nodded. "Yeah it was cool of you two to cover for us like that."

"No prob." I assured them. Leo nodded.

"It all worked out in the end. Calla and I didn't get flattened by an air conditioner, your bionics didn't get exposed, and I still get to go to the Rift Raft Jammy Jam!"

"Maybe we can all go." Bree suggested.

"Yay! We're all going to the Rift Raft Jammy Jam!" Tasha cheered, beginning to dance. And to be completely honest, Tasha's dancing made Chase's dancing look good. And I didn't think anything could do that.

"Not with moves like that." Leo told her.

** FLASHBACK END **

** Calla's POV **

"Now hold on a second! My dance moves were not that bad!" Tasha objected. We all looked at each other.

"Yes. Yes they were." We agreed in unison. Tasha gave us all a hurt look, but Mr. Davenport pulled into my driveway before she could say anything.

"Want me to walk you to the door?" Chase offered. I shook my head, climbing out of the car.

"Nah, I got it. Thanks for inviting me for dinner!" I called to the adults. "See you guys tomorrow."

Chase gave me a quick kiss before I closed the door and I headed up to the front door. I was just wondering what tomorrow would bring when I got a very unusual text from a friend.

** Text from: Kieran **

** Hey. We need to talk. Meet me at the library tomorrow after school. **

I stared at the text, trying to think of what Kieran could possibly need to talk to me about.


	11. Spike's Got Talent

** Calla's POV **

I walked into the school, looking around for a certain new kid. Kieran had texted me the night before and it sounded urgent, but he wasn't responding to any of my texts, nor could I find the boy. Where could he be?

"Hey Calla!" I turned to see Chase coming towards me, visibly upset by something. He was holding a book in his hands.

"Morning babe, is that the new yearbook?" I asked, looking at the pages. They were supposed to be coming out today.

"Yeah!" Chase grumbled, still upset. "Guess who was the only one in the entire school who didn't get a most likely to? Me, that's who!"

I rolled my eyes. "Chase, you can't have been the only one…"

He flipped through the pages and started reading some out loud. "Kieran Daniels, most likely to own a zoo. Adam Davenport, most likely to drop out and become a rodeo clown. Bree Davenport, most likely to be come an Olympian sprinter, Leo Dooley, most likely to never get a most likely to, Jaden Parker, most likely to get struck by lightning…" He listed off. I bit back a laugh.

"I stand corrected." I admitted. "And since when is 'most likely to get struck by lightning' a category?"

"Since this year, I think." Chase replied. I nodded, then looked back at the book.

"What did I get?" I asked curiously. He sighed and read mine out loud.

"Calla Parker, most likely to rule the world." He read. I grinned.

"Okay, that one I like." I beamed. Chase gave me a look.

"That just proves it. I'm completely invisible at this school." He mumbled. I shook my head.

"Chase, you're a world famous bionic superhero. You're not invisible." I told him. He gave me a look, then showed me the year book.

"Really, then what's this?" He showed me a section of the book. Every grade at the school had a couple of pages to themselves to show the students faces and names, and it was no different with our grade. It began with Breanna Blake, a quiet short haired girl who sat in the back of most of my classes, and ended with Amy Williams, a feisty redhead that Rebeccka had introduced me to. Chase was pointing at the spot where his picture should be, right between Bree and Leo. Except, instead of a photo, it had a question mark. The name underneath read Chip Davenport. "Chip Davenport!" Chase exclaimed. "I'm a misnamed question mark!"

"Chase, get over it already." Bree walked up to us, Jaden and Leo following. "It was a simple mistake, just get them to fix it."

"That's not the point!" He snapped. I patted his shoulder gently.

"Chase, calm down." I told him just as Principal Perry walked up to us.

"Listen up, snot buckets!" She declared, holding a large piece of paper in her hands. "Don't forget to sign up for the annual Mission Creek High talent show. The show is tonight. Auditions are at lunch today and will be judged by moi. Chances are that if I don't like you, you won't get through and I don't like any of you, so good luck!"

On that pleasant note, she pinned the sign-up sheet on the wall nearby. "Talent shows are wrong!" We were surprised to hear the annoyed shout that escaped my brother. "They're completely idiotic."

I groaned, sitting down on the bench and hiding my face with my hands. "Not this again."

"What's the problem with talent shows, Jaden?" Bree asked, confused. He crossed his arms.

"Every year, dozens of talented students try out and that woman," he glared in the direction that Perry had left, "shuts them down. Well, I'm not going to stand for it any longer!"

And with that, Jaden left the room, his head held high. Everyone turned to look at me. "What was that about?"

I shrugged. "Well either he's all pissed off because people think he's a lightning rod, or he's still upset that Perry told him he was untalented three years in a row."

"He tried out for the talent show for the past three years?" Bree asked. "What talent?"

"Singing." I shuddered. "God, his voice…you know how Davenport is really, really bad at singing?" They all nodded. "Well Jaden's voice makes him seem like an angel in comparison."

Bree laughed lightly. "Well I'd better go make sure he doesn't do something stupid."

She left, leaving me, Chase and Leo alone. Leo was smirking. "This talent show is the perfect opportunity for me to build my fan base."

"Leo, you don't have a fan base." Chase pointed out.

"I know, that's why I have to build one." He replied, not offended. He grinned. "With magic."

"Well, that is what it would take." I commented, earning a small chuckle from Chase.

"I got a magic kit and I've been practicing specifically for the competition." Leo explained. Chase looked at him.

"A magic kit?" He repeated. "Isn't that kind of lame?"

Leo looked at him like he was crazy. "There is nothing lame about buying something off the internet to make friends." He stepped away from us, heading over to talk to two girls in our class, Thea and Iris. "Hey, would you like to see a card trick?"

They both nodded and Leo pulled out a pack of cards. He pulled one card from the deck without looking at it, and showed it to the pair. "This is your card." He announced before slipping it back into the deck. He began to shuffle the deck before looking at Iris with a frown on her face. "What's that in your hair?"

Leaning forward, he pulled a card out of her hair. "Bam!" He exclaimed, earning grins from both girls. He spun around and shoved the card in Chase's face. "See? Magic."

"You know what my problem is? All my talents are bionic. And even though the world knows about us, Mr. Davenport's still enforcing the no-using-bionics-at-school rule. It's not fair."

"Aw, bionic people problems." Leo teased lightly. I sighed.

"Chase, the only reason that he's still enforcing that rule is because if he told you guys you could use your bionics here, things could go wrong easily. Adam would be using his super strength and heat vision all the time and Bree would be manipulating people's voices left and right. How long do you think it would be before people started taking advantage of you guys?"

He sighed. "I guess you're right."

I gave him a look. "Of course I'm right." I muttered. "Now, have either of you guys seen Kieran?"

"Nope." Leo replied with a shake of his head. Chase looked at me.

"Why?" He asked, trying to seem casual about it. Chase still didn't like him that much. I sighed and showed him my phone.

"He sent me a ominous text last night and hasn't responded to my texts or calls since." I explained. "I'm just worried that he's gotten himself into some sort of trouble."

"Then maybe it's a good idea to stay out of it?" Chase suggested hopefully. One look from me let him know that I did not find his comment amusing. "Alrighty then, never mind. So you're going to meet up with him after school?"

"Yeah, I guess. I was hoping to talk to him beforehand, just to make sure he's alright and all, but I guess it'll have to wait." I decided. Chase sighed and looked at me.

"Calla," He began. I cut him off with a glare.

"Don't you dare tell me not to go." I told him. He nodded.

"I wasn't going to." He assured me. "But if you really think he's in some sort of trouble, will you at least promise to have your cell on? Just in case?"

I sighed. He wasn't going to let this go. "Alright, fine. I'll keep my cell phone on if it makes you happy."

Suddenly, the bell rang. I gave him a quick peck on the lips before grabbing my book bag. "History class awaits."

** Chase's POV **

Talent show tryouts were a disaster. The number of kids with strange and weird talents was a large one, but very few of them made it past the first cuts. In many cases, this was a good thing. I mean one kid tried to gurgle the alphabet. Who does that?

Finally, it was Leo's turn to get on stage. He jumped onto the stage with a grin, carrying three metal hoops in his hands. Perry let out a groan.

"Uck, Dooley. Next!" She shouted, hitting the buzzer. Leo rolled his eyes, not getting off the stage.

"Come on, give me a chance!" He pleaded. Perry sighed.

"Fine. Just get it over with." She sighed. Leo nodded and smiled at the crowd.

"Three solid metal rings." He showed them to the crowd, holding them apart to show that they were not even touching. He clanged the rings together, then dropped two of them to reveal that they were now interlocked. He smirked at everyone's nods of approval. "Locked solid, right?" He asked. He blew on the rings and they disappeared in a fiery blast.

Everyone clapped for him. Even Perry seemed impressed. "Wow! That wasn't awful!" She exclaimed. "Alright, you're in." She decided, hitting the bell on her desk.

"Yes!" Leo beamed. He looked at the crowd. "For my next trick, I'll leave while I'm ahead."

Leo ran off stage, heading towards the back where Calla was. She gave me a thumbs up as I climbed on stage, clearly trying to be supportive.

"I am the smartest man to ever live." I began. Groans could be heard from the crowd and even Calla face palmed at that. Still, I would not be deterred. My bionic brain was my greatest gift and I was going to use it. "Break out your online dictionaries people. I can spell any word."

"Yeah, I got one for you! Snooze-fest!" Perry called. Suddenly, people began to boo and throw pieces of crumpled up homework at me. Calla and Leo both had their faces ducked, trying to avoid being noticed and recognized as my friends. I felt my face go red with embarrassment as I tried to fix this mess.

"Next!" Perry announced. I hastened to make her change her mind.

"No, wait! I have another talent!" I told her. Panicking, I said the first thing that came to mind. "I can do magic!"

Taking a deep breath, I raised my hands and used my telekinesis to make the pieces of paper float into the air. Most of the crowd gasped in amazement, not to my surprise. Although the world knew about our bionics, most of them didn't know much about our abilities except that I was super smart, Adam was super strong, and Bree was super fast. My telekinesis was something they likely hadn't seen before, so therefore, it was considered very impressive.

Smirking with newfound confidence, I made the paper balls circle me once, then shot them out at the crowd. They bounced off everyone who'd attacked me, not one of them touching Leo or Calla.

"That was amazing!" Perry declared. "Dooley, you're out. Little Dutch Boy, you're in."

"Yes!" I grinned, pleased with myself. Leo walked up to me.

"Great job Chase." He told me. "Maybe for your next trick, you can remove this knife from my back!"

He stormed off without another word. Frowning, I climbed off stage and headed over to Calla. "You just had to go with magic, didn't you?" She sighed, her tone lacking judgment. I shrugged helplessly.

"I panicked. What else was I supposed to do?" I demanded. She sighed again.

"I'm staying out of this." She decided. "But next time, think things through ahead of time."

She shook her head at me before walking away, heading in the same direction as Leo.

** Bree's POV **

"I have to do something to protest Perry's talent show." Three hours later and Jaden was still upset about the talent show. "Something that will take her and the entire establishment down."

"Aren't you taking this a little too seriously?" I asked. After all, it was only a talent show.

"Too seriously? Bree, this is serious." Jaden informed me. "And I've got an idea."

"So do I." I replied. We looked at each other, grinned, then said our ideas out loud.

"Storm the school!" "Build a sculpture!"

We stared at each other for a moment, confused. Then I decided it was better to be the loser in this situation. "Of course, a sculpture. We are so in sync."

"A sculpture will symbolise how authority suffocates creative expression." Jaden decided. I gave him a look.

"You forgot to finish your sculpture for art class, didn't you?" I guessed. He gave me a guilty grin.

"I haven't even started." He admitted. "But that's not the point."

"Sure it isn't." I replied, laughing softly to myself. Jaden either didn't notice or ignored me.

"We can put it in the school lobby, where everyone can see it." He decided.

"Including our art teacher." I added. He glanced at me, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards.

"Stop it." He said. "Now, what to make it out of…" He trailed off, trying to find the perfect material.

"Ice?" I suggested.

"No." He shook his head.

"Clay?"

"Too obvious."

"Plaster?"

"Really Bree?" He looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Butter?" We looked over our shoulders to see Adam standing behind the kitchen counter, a piece of toast in his hands. Jaden stared at him, getting to his feet.

"What did you say?" He asked, stunned.

"Butter. Everything's better with butter." He replied. "Probably even your art."

"Butter is perfect." Jaden grinned. I raised an eyebrow at that and he gave me a look. "Oh come on. Like you've never wanted to build anything out of butter."

"Seriously?" I shook my head at him, but Jaden was already excited about the statue. He looked at my older brother.

"Adam, do you want to help me make a sculpture out of butter?" He asked. Adam stared at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, his toast falling to the ground.

"I have been waiting for someone to ask me that my whole life." He replied, chasing after Jaden as they left to go get the butter. I stared after them as they ran.

"Wait, I thought we were going to…" The door slammed shut behind them, "…do something together."

Annoyed and frustrated, I slumped back onto the couch, glaring at the door.

** Chase's POV **

I grinned as I practiced me "magic" act for the talent show, using my telekinesis to stack a deck of cards into a house.

"Hey!" A sudden shout made me lose my concentration and the cards fell. I turned to face Leo, a little peeved. Although clearly, he was angrier than I was. "You abraded my cadabra. You hocused my pocus. Alied my kazam."

"I was being booed and I panicked." I defended myself. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Suffer!" Was Leo's immediate response. "You're supposed to suffer."

"Leo, I've finally found a way to look cool by using my bionics. How can I not share my gift with the world?" I looked up at the sky and smirked. "You're welcome world!"

Suddenly my phone buzzed and I instinctively knew it was Calla. She had asked me to come to the school to help her set up for the talent show. Also to help her find Kieran, who'd skipped school for an unknown reason. I was happy to help with the first request, the second…well, whatever made her happy, right?

I glanced at Leo, smirking. "Magic." I teased, opening the elevator doors telekinetically.

"And I thought I was the biggest jerk in the room!" I heard Eddy call after me. I ignored him. I wasn't being a jerk. It wasn't my fault that Leo was kicked out of the talent show. At least, I never intended for that to happen.

** Bree's POV **

"Bree!" Jaden exclaimed, grabbing my arm. I laughed at his excitement.

"Hello to you too. Are we going to do something together now?" I asked hopefully. Unfortunately, he shook his head as he led me upstairs.

"Not yet. Your brother and I are so in sync." He announced. "I want to show you what we created together."

I was pulled into the living room, where a giant mass was hidden by a thin blanket. Adam, who was standing next to it, ripped off the blanket to reveal a bust of Principal Perry, completely made out of butter.

"Da-ta!" Adam announced as both boys grinned at me, waiting for my approval.

"I love it." I lied. "Just question. Why Perry?"

"She represents everything that's wrong with society." Jaden replied. I bobbed my head, agreeing with him on that one. Jaden looked at Adam. "Hey, do you know what she needs?"

"Glasses?" Adam asked, much to Jaden's pleasure.

"You get me." He decided. I stared at my boyfriend.

"He gets you?" I repeated. "Jaden, he gets baffled by tissue boxes!"

"How does one know when the other one is gone? It just pops right up!" Adam defended himself before he and Jaden ran to go make some glasses for butter Perry.

Crossing my arms, I'd finally had enough. "That's it." I decided. I looked at the fridge where Eddy's monitor was. "Eddy, crank up the heat. Full blast."

He appeared, clearly having heard my request. "But if I do, that'll melt the butter sculpture and that would be…AWESOME!" He exclaimed, doing as I asked. I smiled proudly to myself, glancing at the sculpture before heading down into the lab.

** Calla's POV **

So Kieran hadn't shown up at the library. Strange. I was starting to get a little concerned, deciding that if I didn't see him today, I was going to track him down tomorrow. But for the moment, I was content to watch the talent show.

"Hey Leo." I greeted as my best friend walked over to me. He nodded and me, his hands in his pockets. He was smirking. "Alright, what are you planning?"

"You'll see." Leo replied with a smile. Suddenly, Perry climbed on stage.

"Next up we have the Amazing Chase! The only magician who's magic wand is bigger than he is."

The crowd clapped as Chase walked on stage, wearing a top hat and a cape. I laughed lightly to myself. It was cute how he got so into stuff like this.

"Thank you, thank you ladies and gentlemen!" He called, carrying a wooden chair onto the stage with him. "For my first trick, I will move that chair…with my mind."

"Oh no he's not." I heard Leo say. I turned to see him pulling something out of his pocket. The bionic disrupter, to be exact.

"Leo, don't!" I exclaimed, but it was too late. He pressed the button, aiming the invention at Chase. Chase had his hands held out, obviously trying to lift the chair telekinetically, but nothing was happening.

I glared at Leo, snatching the disruptor away from him. "You stole this from my desk!" I accused. He shrugged.

"Yeah, but you have it back, so technically I borrowed it." He pointed out. I wasn't amused.

"Leo, this thing only has three charges and you just wasted one of them!" I snapped. He frowned.

"Wait, I thought it only had one charge." He said, confused. I gave him a look.

"I upgraded it. Duh." I replied. "But you realize how stupid that was, right?"

"I don't see what the big deal is!" Leo argued. I sighed.

"This disrupts and stops anyone with bionics for a short period of time. Anyone, including Krane." I growled. Meanwhile, the crowd was booing Chase very loudly. I glanced at him, noticing how panicked and nervous he was getting. "You just had to humiliate him in public, didn't you?"

"Yes. Yes I did." Leo replied with a smirk. We watched as everyone made fun of Chase. Part of me wanted to tell everyone to shut up, but I knew that it would make things worse if people thought Chase needed his girlfriend to defend him. Meanwhile, said bionic boy looked ready to flee the stage, gripping his hat tightly while he tried to think of something.

Then something in the air shifted and Chase no longer look so nervous or panicky. He ripped off his hat and cape in a fury, glaring at the crowd. "HEY!"

Leo and I both froze, recognizing Spike's voice. "You want to see me move that chair with my head?!" Spike demanded. Leo gulped nervously beside me.

"I hope he's doing an impression, because that sounds a lot like Spike." He muttered, staring at him.

Spike raised the chair above him and slammed it down on his head with a roar, breaking the chair with ease. The shattered pieces fell to the floor while he glowered at everyone around him. "Yep, that's Spike." I confirmed.

Meanwhile, the crowd all thought it was part of the show. They were clapping and cheering for Spike, much to his pleasure. He began growling and showing off his muscles (or the imaginary ones he believed he had) to the crowd. After a few minutes of this, Perry stepped on stage.

"Well, there's a fine line between entertaining and disturbing and I think we've crossed it." She decided. "So, let's take a brief intermission."

The crowd dispersed, leaving me and Leo alone with Spike.

"You want to handle this?" Leo asked. I rolled my eyes, grabbed Spike gently by the arm, and led him off stage.

"Hey Spike." I greeted. "Do you think you can chill out and let weak, little Chase come back before Perry-"

"I don't want to chill out!" Spike growled. "I want to rip out someone's spine and use it as a pogo stick!"

I thought back to all the times Spike had come out in the past. "Or, we could picture a nice, tranquil forest…" I gulped as Spike stared at me. It wasn't a glare, not yet, but with the amount of anger stored inside Spike, I wouldn't be surprised if it changed very quickly. Although I was clearly Spike's favourite – I always had been – I still wasn't sure how far he'd go. "…filled with nice, leaping gazelles…"

Luckily, Leo came to my rescue. "While you have a nice cup of tea." He ripped a cup of tea away from an old lady and handed it to Spike. Spike took it from Leo, bit down on it hard, then spit out the broken shards and handed it back.

"Tasty!" He growled. He started towards us, but stopped suddenly. He blinked, confused.

"Calla, Leo, what just happened?" Chase demanded in the same confused and slightly frightened tone he always had after Spike showed up. I turned to Leo, making it clear that he would have to explain this one.

"I…might have disabled your telekinesis, but I only did it because you cheated first so now we're even. More tea?" He held up the cup. Chase frowned and looked at me.

"Tell me Spike didn't show up." He pleaded. I smiled guiltily.

"Afraid so. But don't worry, I took the disruptor away from him." I assured him. Chase nodded, then looked at Leo, hurt.

"Leo, you made me nervous and triggered my commando app! You turned me into Spike!" He accused.

"Yeah, well now you're back to good old nerdy Chase, so let this be a lesson. No one. Steals. From. The Magic Man." He growled, getting right in Chase's face. I stepped back, knowing what was going to happen. Teasing Chase right after Spike goes away isn't a good idea because Spike is very liable to come back.

Just as I suspected, Spike glared back at Leo. "What did you say to me fruit fly?"

He stepped close, growling in the shorter boy's ear. Leo laughed nervously. "Hey, look everybody. Spike's back."

** Bree's POV **

I walked into the living room seconds after Jaden and Adam found the puddle of melted butter. "Oh no, what happened?" I asked, feigning confusion.

"I don't get it. Butter doesn't melt at room temperature." Jaden said to Adam. "And we can't rebuild it in time for the talent show."

"Tragic…oh well." I shrugged and grabbed Jaden by the arm. "Let's go see a movie."

I'd almost made it out of the house with boyfriend when Eddy stopped us. "Slow your roll, Shirley. Check out this movie."

Eddy's screen changed to a security camera clip from earlier today. Specifically, it was of me.

" _Eddy, crank up the heat. Full blast."_  I glared at Eddy as Jaden and Adam stared at the screen.

"Bree, what the hell?" Jaden demanded, hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry! You were just spending so much time with Adam that I got jealous." I explained.

"So you sabotaged me?" He questioned. I sighed, but Jaden didn't give me the chance to answer. "I'm out of here."

"Jaden!" I called after him, but it was too late. I winced as the door slammed shut behind him. Adam just looked at me, disappointment. Upset, I sat down on the couch, trying to think of a way to fix this.

** Calla's POV **

Well, Spike was in a bad mood. And I don't mean normal bad mood Spike. I mean he was in a worse mood than I'd ever seen him. Which was bad. Really, really bad.

"Hey Calla? Can I borrow the disruptor again?" Leo asked suddenly. I looked at him. "Oh come on! This is an emergency!"

I sighed. "Fine. But I'm doing it."

I pointed the disruptor at Spike and pressed the button. To my genuine surprise, nothing happened. Well, Spike's anger doubled, but aside from that, nothing.

"Ah!" Spike roared, stealing a baton away from Rebeccka. With a single motion, he bent the baton in half and handed it back to her. "Twirl that, princess."

"Jerk." Rebeccka muttered, walking away as Spike spun to face his next opponent. It was one of the school's best students, Kevin. And Kevin's talent was karate.

Unfortunately for Kevin, Spike knew karate better. He ripped Kevin's bo staff out of his hands and flung it away so hard that it ended up sticking out of the wall just above Leo's head. Then Spike quickly beat the crap out of Kevin and threw him away like he was a rag doll.

"Why aren't you using the disruptor?" Leo demanded. I shook my head helplessly.

"I think it amplified Spike's power rather instead of interrupting it. Leo looked at me.

"That's not good." He stated the obvious. I nodded, watching Spike.

"No it is not." I agreed as Spike destroyed the water fountain nearby and started to drink the water that sprayed out of it. People were staring at this point, but there was nothing we could do to save Chase's rep.

** Bree's POV **

I sighed, staring down at my phone. Jaden still wasn't returning any of my calls or texts. I looked at Adam, who was wiping pancakes through the puddle of butter.

"Jaden's still mad at me! How am I going to make this up to him?" I asked, hoping he would have an answer.

"The damage is done, Bree. So unless you have 28 pounds of delicious popcorn to soak up his butter art, you're screwed."

"Yes!" I exclaimed. Adam's eyes widened.

"You do?" He replied, stunned. I shook my head.

"No, I mean what if we build Jaden a new protest statue?" I said. Adam frowned.

"How?" He asked. I didn't answer, instead speeding away to the nearest store. I was back in my living room mere seconds later, a giant bag of popcorn kernels in each arm.

"With 28 pounds of popcorn." I declared. Adam nodded, grinning.

"Sweet." He commented. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

"But how are we going to pop it all before the talent show ends?" I asked. Adam's grin grew.

"Leave that to me." He said before activating his heat vision. He turned it on the popcorn bag to my right, burning a hole through it and popping the popcorn. I nodded.

"That'll work." I agree. Jaden was going to love this.

** Xxx **

"This better be important." Jaden sighed, walking up to me. "I was busy."

"Doing what?" I asked. He sighed.

"Trying to make a sculpture for art class out of Play-Doh." He muttered. I smirked, reaching forward to pull a bit of the blue clay off of his jacket.

"Yeah, I can tell." I replied. He crossed his arms and I sighed. "Jaden, I know you're mad at me, but I hope this giant waste of popcorn makes it up to you."

I ripped the blanket off of the new sculpture to reveal a bust of Principal Perry made op of popcorn. It was complete with two eyes and glasses. Or, was complete. Adam was licking her head right now, taking off some of the popcorn. "Adam!" I snapped, trying to get him off of it. "Stop licking Principal Perry!"

"I can't help it!" He argued. "She's salty."

I turned back to Jaden, who was staring at the new sculpture with wide, amazed eyes. "I'm really sorry I melted your butter sculpture."

"Bree…" Jaden shook his head, staring at me. "I was pretty upset, but this…this gesture is making my heart melt like…"

"Butter?" Adam suggested. We glared at him.

"No!" We both snapped. Suddenly, Chase ran in, growling and carrying part of a broken basketball backboard. He quickly pinned two boys against a locker, growling in their faces.

"Has your brother gone rabid or something?" Jaden asked, confused. I was about to reply when Calla and Leo ran in. Leo ran to try and stop Chase from being…crazy, while Calla walked over to us.

"Why is there a popcorn Perry bust?" She asked.

"Long story. Why is Chase trying to kill those guys?"

Calla thought about her answer for a minute. "Chase isn't trying to kill anyone." She informed us. "Spike, on the other hand, is feeling very murderous today."

Spike chose that moment to run off in the other direction, Leo chasing after him. Calla looked at us before following. "Why am I the one always cleaning up Leo's messes?" She called.

Before anyone could respond, Perry walked into the room. She froze upon seeing her popcorn lookalike. "Who is responsible for this?" She demanded. Jaden looked at me, then at Perry.

"I am." He lied.

"I love it!" Perry cried. We stared at her, surprised. "Talent show is over. We have a winner."

"YES!" Jaden jumped for joy, beaming like the sun. Then we heard a ferocious growl.

"Spike, no!" We heard Calla call, but it was too late. Spike leapt at the sculpture and it burst apart, sending popcorn flying.

"How dare you!" Perry screamed, glowering at Spike. "How dare you destroy the Mona Lisa that was my popcorn bust?!"

While most kids would have wet themselves at the sound of rage in her voice, Spike was unaffected. "What are you going to do about it, Shoulder Pads?"

"Ooh." We all murmured. Perry narrowed her eyes at him.

"Easy Butch. Your mouth is writing a check that you can't cash in." She warned.

"Oh yeah?" Spike sounded amused. "Santa called. He wants to know if you'll be making toys this year."

"Why bother making a dolly when I have my own right here?" Perry retorted. By this point, Leo and Calla had walked up to us, eating popcorn out of their hands as they enjoyed the show.

"That's a funny joke. Where'd you get it from? Your cats' litter box?" Spike questioned.

"Nobody talks about my cats!" Perry shouted. Spike just opened his arms, clearly challenging her. "You're going down. Back when I was in the Kiwana Wrestling League, they called me La Rosa Bonita!"

Spike just growled in response. "And watch out! Because I have thorns!" Perry pulled on a red and yellow wrestling mask. Okay, things just got serious.

"Alright kitty-cat, read to tango?" Spike questioned.

"Must…protect…my students." Perry huffed. "Prepare to be subdued!"

They grabbed each other's shoulders, trying to force the other one to the ground. They stumbled a bit before Perry flipped Spike onto his back. I glanced to my left to see Calla video-taping the entire thing on her phone.

"Send me a copy, would you?" I requested. She nodded, not taking her eyes off the scene.

Spike got back to his feet, this time flipping Perry onto the ground. Perry wasn't down for long though. Spike ran at her, only for her to grab him from behind and throw him at the nearest wall. He grabbed the stair railing, stopping the impact from happening, but was clearly a little shaken. Spike ran at her again, only to be tripped. He face planted on the ground with a groan. After jumping to his feet, he charged at her again.

This continued for a few minutes until Perry had finally had enough. She lifted him off his feet, slammed him onto the ground, then climbed on top of the lobby bench. Spike stood up after a moment, shaking his head with a confused expression on his face.

"Calla?" Chase called hesitantly, staring up at Perry.

Before any of us could give him any type of warning, Perry shouted "VIVA LA PERRY!" and jumped on top of him, landing on him as they hit the ground.

"Ooh." We groaned sympathetically. That had to hurt. Perry slammed him into the ground a couple of times before lying on top of him, exhausted. Calla ran over to Chase, kneeling by his head.

"Hey babe." I heard her greet. He looked up at her, confused.

"Why am I being smothered by a female Mexican wrestler in a pantsuit?" He demanded. She let out a light laugh.

"I'll fill you in later." She assured him, tossing a bit of popcorn in her mouth. She held the rest out to him. "You want some?"

** Chase's POV **

I groaned as even more kids walked by us, mimicking Perry and Spike's fight. I was never going to live this down for as long as I lived.

"Well Chase, you finally got what you wanted. You're no longer invisible." Leo tried to be optimistic. "You'll forever be known as the kid who got pinned by Principal Perry."

"Thank you Leo." Now can we just drop the whole thing?

"Pinned like a butterfly on a science teacher's wall." He continued, smiling.

"Gotcha Leo." I said through gritted teeth.

"You know, if being pinned was a talent, you would've won." He offered. Finally having enough, I decided to show him my new talent.

"AHH!" I slammed my fists down on the table, mimicking Spike's roar with perfection. Leo ran off with a scream, leaving his lunch of roast beef on the table.

"That little trick is going to come in handy." I decided, grabbing his lunch. I'd wanted to show Calla, but I hadn't been able to find her this morning.

** Calla's POV **

"Aha!" I shouted as I leapt out from behind the bookshelf. Kieran, whom I finally found, fell to the ground, surprised by my sudden appearance.

"Calla?" He questioned, shocked. I smirked.

"So, you wanted to talk?" I asked cheerfully. Kieran's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, it was nothing really." He apologized quickly, getting to his feet. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Why not?" I asked, crossing my arms. He sighed.

"It's complicated." He said. I gave him a look. "It's crazy."

"Crazy." I repeated. "K-Dog, my boyfriend is a bionic superhuman who got pinned by a Mexican wrestler in a pantsuit last night. My brother makes butter sculptures because it's fun. I work for a mad scientist. Trust me; I'm good with crazy."

"Calla, look. I shouldn't have texted you, just forget about it." He told me, trying to walk away. I grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Why are you hiding things from me?" I asked, a little hurt. "I'm your friend Kieran. If you're in some kind of trouble, tell me."

Kieran looked at me for a long while, trying to decide what to say. I could tell from the look on his face that he was debating telling me the truth. He sighed after a long moment. "Okay, there is one thing."

"Let's talk." I grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards a quiet spot in the library. Something was bothering him and I was going to find out what it was. No matter what.


	12. Rise of the Secret Soldiers

** Kieran's POV **

God, I knew texting Calla was a bad idea the moment I sent her that message. I shouldn't have gotten her involved. I mean, what was I supposed to tell her? That I think I'm bionic? That I think that my dreams might be more than dreams? She would think I was crazy! I mean, she'd been humouring me so far when it came to the dreams. I could tell that she didn't really believe that they meant anything, but she was trying to be nice. And maybe I could still tell her about the dreams without sounding like a madman, but there was no way I could tell her about the bionics!

She'd either laugh in my face or accuse me of lying. And if I showed her them, then what? I didn't know how I got them, who gave them to me, or even when I got them! And from what little Calla has told me about Adam, Bree, and Chase's adventures (even though the world knows about them, they're still a little secretive about what really goes on in that secret lab of theirs) the few times they'd met other bionic people, it hadn't gone well for them. Would she even still trust me if I told her? Or would she go straight to Adam, Bree, and Chase's dad? I'd never met the guy, but since Chase was pretty hostile to me and I wasn't that close with the others, I wasn't sure what to expect.

No, I couldn't tell Calla. She and Leo were pretty much the only friends I had at this school. Well, there was Caleb too, but…I don't know, he didn't seem like that nice a guy at times. I couldn't risk losing Calla's friendship over this. I guess I would just have to figure this out myself.

The problem was, Calla wasn't the type of girl to let things go. I'd avoided her the first day and had hoped that by time the weekend was over, she'd have forgotten all about my text message. No such luck. I didn't, however, expect her to track me down and leap at me in the school library.

"Aha!" I stumbled to the grounded, surprised when a certain brunette jumped out of the shadows. I stared up at her, blinking away my confusion.

"Calla?" I questioned, eyes wide. She smirked playfully, crossing her arms.

"So, you wanted to talk?" She asked, her tone light. I stared at her. Damn, that girl was persistent.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, climbing to my feet and brushing off my pants. "It was nothing, really. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Calla's forehead creased in confusion. "Why not?" She asked.

I sighed. "It's complicated." She raised an eyebrow at that, clearly needing a better reason to give up on the topic. "It's crazy."

"Crazy? K-Dog, my boyfriend is a bionic superhuman who got pinned by a Mexican wrestler in a pantsuit last night. My brother makes butter sculptures because it's fun. I work for a mad scientist. Trust me – I'm good with crazy."

I decided not to question why Chase had been pinned by a Mexican wrestler in a pantsuit. Apparently, I'd missed something at the talent show. "Calla, look. I shouldn't have texted you." I told her, starting to walk away. "Just forget about it."

I felt her grab my arm and I stopped. "What are you hiding from me?" I could tell she was hurt by the fact that I was keeping things from her. "I'm your friend, Kieran. If you're in some kid of trouble, tell me."

I looked at her, trying to think of something to say. Maybe I could tell her. Maybe she would understand…But maybe she wouldn't. There was no way I could tell her about the bionics. Not yet, anyway. I needed to figure out what the hell was happening with me first. But maybe there was something I could tell her… "Okay, there is one thing."

Calla nodded and grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards the back of the library. She didn't release me from her grip until we'd reached the cross-section between the biographies and maps. Unless there was a major research project going on in one of the classes, we wouldn't be bothered back here.

"I always hide back here when I want to get away from the idiots in this place." Calla explained, pulling out two seat cushions from under the bookshelf. "Leo comes here to play cards some times."

"Figures." I chuckled to myself, sitting down on one of them. Calla gave me a confused look. "Only you would choose to hang out in a library in your spare time."

"Says the boy who's constantly reading biology books for fun." She retorted playfully.

"Hey, I like animals." I defended myself. She nodded.

"Yeah, I know. K-Dog the animal whisperer." She teased as she made herself comfortable, leaning against the bookshelf behind her. I rolled my eyes at her. "Okay, now seriously. What's going on?"

I sighed, leaning back on my hands. "You really get into other people's business." I commented.

"Yeah, well I don't like it when my friends avoid me when I haven't done anything wrong." She replied. Suddenly, she frowned. "Wait, I haven't done anything to piss you off, right?"

"Were you the one who stole my burrito yesterday?" I asked.

"No."

"Then no." I replied. I shook my head to clear it. "It's just…those stupid dreams. They're messing with my head."

"They still won't go away, huh?" Calla guessed. I shook my head. "Okay, tell me about them. Your mysterious girl. Is she still calling you K-9?"

I couldn't tell if the curiosity in her voice was real or fake. I decided to believe it was real. "Yeah, and I know her name now too."

"What is it?" Okay, the curiosity was definitely real. Calla's eyes were lit up, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. I knew that she liked mysteries, so she was obviously trying really hard to figure this one out.

"Um…R-10." I replied. Calla raised an eyebrow.

"R-10?" She repeated. "Okay, this is getting a bit weird."

Oh, she had no idea. "Yeah, I know."

Calla sucked in a breath, letting it out slowly as she thought of something to say. "Kieran? Now, don't take this offensively, but have you ever thought of seeing a psychiatrist?"

"For my dreams?" I asked. She nodded.

"Well, yeah. Maybe he or she could help you figure out what they mean. I'm not that good at interpreting things like this." She gave me a half-shrug. "Sorry man."

"Well, what would you say if Adam or Leo came to you with these dreams?" I asked. She thought about it.

"Stop eating cold pizza before bed?" She replied uncertainly. I nodded.

"Right, will do." She looked at me.

"Seriously? Do all guys eat cold pizza as a late night snack?" She questioned. I chuckled.

"Do all girls eat cookie dough ice cream after a break up?" I challenged. Calla opened her mouth to object, then her jaw snapped shut.

"Only sometimes." She muttered, obviously guilty of the stereotype. I smirked, about to tease her when her phone vibrated.

"Chase?" I asked as she reached for it. She shook her head.

"Jaden. Apparently, there's a package waiting for me at the house…" She trailed off, frowning. Then she brightened up. "Oh, it's the stuff for Leo's present!"

"His Christmas present?" I asked. She nodded. "Isn't it a bit late?"

"It's a Christmas/birthday present because it's just that awesome." She told me. I smirked.

"What is it?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Can't tell you." She replied. I pouted slightly.

"Not even an itsy-bitsy hint?" I asked. She laughed.

"He's been begging for this for…years actually. I figured it was about time someone granted his wish." She smirked to herself. "I've got to get home. It's not ready yet and I want to finish it soon."

"Okay." I agreed. She looked at me with that concerned look back in her eyes.

"Did you have anything else you needed to talk about? Leo's present can wait." She offered. I shook my head.

"Nah, that was it." I lied. She didn't look like she quite believed me, but didn't push me.

"Alright then. Sorry I couldn't be much help." She apologized. "I'll see you on Monday?"

"Yeah, sure." I agreed, standing up and helping her put the cushions back in their hiding place. "See you Calla."

"Bye Kieran." She called, walking out of the library. I watched her go, wondering if I should have told about the bionics.

** Calla's POV **

"So, did you hear about that astrology cruise they're doing in a few months? It lines up perfectly with our Spring Break. We could go together." I mentioned Chase, popping a carrot stick into my mouth. He nodded.

"Yeah, I read about it online. It sounds so fun." He agreed. "But I can't go."

"Why don't you ask Mr. Davenport?" I asked, looking up as Bree and Adam entered the room. Chase sighed.

"I did. He refused on the grounds that I could be called for a mission at any time." He growled. "It's not fair."

"Agreed." I nodded just as the door flung open. Leo walked in, a box tucked under his arm.

"Good news my famous bionic peeps. And Calla." He greeted. "Your new PR guy came through big time."

Leo was so pleased about becoming the new PR guy. Honestly, I didn't see what the big deal was, but hey, it meant less work for me.

"Please tell me it's not another celebrity game show." Chase pleaded, spinning around in his seat to face Leo. "We always lose."

"Probably because one of us keeps hitting the buzzer too soon and doesn't know the answer." Bree sent a pointed look in Adam's direction. He shrugged.

"In my defence, I thought hitting the buzzer was the right answer." He exclaimed. We all just shook our heads at him and turned back to Leo.

"Remember that magazine interview I had you guys do? Well the article just came out thanks to your truly, Leo Dooley of Dooley Entertainment, the subsidiary of LeoCorp."

Grinning, the guys jumped to their feet and pulled a magazine out of the box. Chase tossed me one before grabbing his own and I took a look at the front cover. One look told me that it hadn't gone the way they'd expected it.

"Wait, the reporter interviewed all of us. Why is Adam the only one on the cover?" Bree demanded. I smirked, reading the title next to Adam. It read: 'Adam Davenport, Bionic Hottie. How does he do it?'

Adam laughed, reading the same thing. Chase flipped to the article itself and scanned it through. "This whole article makes it sound like Adam's in charge!" He exclaimed in an annoyed tone. "'Adam Davenport is the bionic team's leader, strongman, and all around superstar'?"

"Finally, someone gets how things work around here!" Adam grinned, not at all displeased with how things turned out.

"Hey, listen to this." Bree said to us, looking closely at the article. "'Along with Adam's little brother, the girl helps him on missions.' It's like you and I don't even exist!"

"What are you talking about? You guys are mentioned right here." Adam objected. "Bree and Chase Davenport not pictured."

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Mr. Davenport asked, walking into the kitchen. Chase and Bree turned to him, furious.

"This article totally misrepresents how our team works!" Chase exclaimed. "People are going to think that Adam is the only one who does anything."

"Oh, don't worry." Adam assured him. "I'll set the record straight and tell them the girl does stuff too."

"Guys, don't worry about it. The media distorts everything." Mr. Davenport told us. "I mean, one time an article said that I was 'self-absorbed'! Me!" He laughed, then turned serious again. "Look, the important thing is you know the truth about who you are and what you do."

Raising an eyebrow, I read a passage from the article. "'We also spoke to Leo Dooley, the bionic team's brilliant mastermind.'"

"What?" Mr. Davenport snatched the article away from me. "That's it! I'm calling my lawyer!"

** Chase's POV **

"Guys!" I called, walking into the lab with Bree and Adam right behind me. Leo was at his desk, texting while Calla was making improvements to her plasma gun. "Look at this."

"Look at what?" Calla sighed, getting up and walking over to us. She took the IPad from my hands.

"It's bad enough that magazines are twisting the facts, but now gossip sites are writing all sorts of lies about us."

"Yeah, like I can't keep a boyfriend!" Bree exclaimed, annoyed.

"And that I'm a nerd!" I agreed.

"And also a bunch of stuff that isn't true!" Adam added. Calla kept reading some of them, while Leo didn't seem surprised.

"Guys, this is the price of fame. Now you see why I've chosen to live my bionic life out of the spotlight." He mentioned. "And take my modest, twenty-five percent cut as your manager."

"Twenty-five percent?" Calla's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? I'm the one doing all the hard work around here, and I'm only getting ten percent!"

"Look, we'll discuss your pay checks later. This is wrong." I told them. "The world is not seeing us for who we really are."

"Yeah." Bree agreed. "People need to know that I am a humble, down to earth, supermodel."

"Look, I have a fix." Leo assured us, getting to his feet. He led us over to a table in the corner of the lab. "When you guys first went public, a production company wanted show to do a live reality show about you guys, but Big D shot them down."

"Why?" I asked. Calla rolled her eyes.

"One hint: guess who wasn't going to be the star." She replied, shaking her head as she looked back at the IPad.

"Big D's going away on a business trip, so I'll call the company and let them know we've reconsidered." Leo told us. "They'll send a camera crew to follow you around."

We grinned. That wasn't that bad of an idea. "Yes. Then the whole world will see how things really are."

"And it will be live, so they won't be able to manipulate the truth." Bree added. Calla didn't look too convinced.

"Guys, I'm not so sure. When it comes to live TV, anything that can go wrong usually does." She pointed out. We ignored her.

"Good idea, Leo." Adam commented. Leo grinned, taking a sip of his tea.

"Well, as the article says, I am the bionic team's brilliant mastermind."

Calla smirked, still going through the rumours. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Dooley.

Leo frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked. Calla's smirk grew.

"Well, according to this website, you are Adam, Bree, and Chase's 'adorable eight year old sidekick, Lee Clooney."

"What? Give me that!" Leo pulled the IPad away from Calla. He read it quickly, an annoyed expression on her face. "That's Adam's blog." He pointed out. Calla frowned and showed it to Adam. He grinned.

"Yep, that's mine. I spelled my own name wrong." He took the IPad from her to correct the spelling error.

** Calla's POV **

"Great, we'll see the camera crew here tomorrow." Leo nodded to me as he entered the kitchen, a phone held to his ear. He got an annoyed expression on his face. "Yes, I am a great negotiator for an eight year old."

I stifled a laugh at that just as the doorbell rang. "I got it!" I called as Leo hung up the phone. I opened the door to see Principal Perry standing there, wearing a large grey trench coat with many pockets. "What are you doing here, and why are you wearing that coat?"

Perry pushed past me into the house. "Calla's right." Leo agreed, looking at her. "You look more suspicious than usual."

"I just thought I would drop by and see how my good friends, the Davenports, were doing." She replied. Leo and I exchanged looks, but before we could away anything, Perry gasped. "Whoa! Look! There's a mountain lion in your yard!"

"Really?" "Where?" Leo and I ran to the window. Although it was extremely rare to even see a mountain lion, tales of them walking into towns were not unheard of out here.

But looking out the window, we couldn't see anything but green grass and asphalt roads. "I don't see anything!" Leo exclaimed.

"Keep looking, something will show up!" Perry called back. I turned around to see her stuffing things into her pockets.

"Leo." I murmured. He turned to face Perry.

"There's nothing there." He told her. I raised an eyebrow at our principal.

"What's in your coat, Perry?" I asked.

"Nothing." She lied. I reached forward and shook it out, several items falling to the floor. "Like I said, nothing."

"Really? You're stealing from us?" For some reason, Leo was surprised to learn that Perry would go that low. Perry rolled her eyes.

"Well not anymore!" She exclaimed. We just looked at her, shaking our heads in mock-disappointment. "Once Adam, Bree, and Chase became famous, I made a fortune auctioning off their bionic belongs online. But then I ran out." Perry explained. "Now I have to restock."

She then shoved the salt and pepper shakers into her pockets. "Put those back!" Leo demanded. Perry smirked.

"You're going to have to catch me first." She replied, dashing for the door. Leo and I didn't even bother moving, watching in boredom as a leg cramp made her curl up on the couch.

** Chase's POV **

"People, we go live in two minutes." Leo warned us. It was almost time for the reality show and we were all getting ready. Even Calla, Jaden and Leo were getting their make-up done by the professional make-up artists. While Calla and Leo seemed to be enjoying it, Jaden thought it was downright girly.

"So, why am I here again?" He asked, sitting down next to Bree.

"Because the world needs to know that I can keep a boyfriend." She replied, not looking up from the mirror she was fixing her hair in.

"Uh, guys." I tapped Bree's shoulder, watching in horror as Mr. Davenport walked into the room.

"Calla, Leo, why is there a camera crew in here?" He questioned. They both froze.

"Um, it's for a new TV show we're filming?" Leo lied nervously. Calla nodded.

"It's called 'What Happened To Your Business Trip?'" She raised her eyebrows at us, motioning for us to play along.

"What happened to your business trip?" We asked in unison. Mr. Davenport grabbed Calla and Leo by the arms, dragging them away from the camera crew.

"I told you, I don't want people seeing our private lives. The more people see, the more they'll criticize every move Adam, Bree, and Chase make and it'll start messing with their heads!"

"People already are criticizing us!" Bree pointed out. "That's why we're doing this, so they can see the truth. And my new highlights."

Mr. Davenport looked at us. "You have nothing to prove. And by doing this, you're just feeding into the frenzy."

"That's easy for you to say! You aren't dragged through the mud on a daily basis!" I argued. "There are rumours online that I'm expecting twins!"

That earned stares from everyone. "Are you sure that was a rumour, and not fanfiction, Chase?" Calla asked, smirking slightly. Bree frowned at her.

"People have been writing fanfiction about us?" She demanded. Calla nodded.

"Not the point." She declared. "Mr. Davenport, they do have a point. Set the truth free, or whatever that quote is."

He sighed. "For the record, I think going on television is a huge mistake-"

"We're live!" Leo hissed and Mr. Davenport's attitude changed instantly. He spun to face the camera, grinning.

"Hello! Hi, I'm Donald Davenport, brilliant genius inventor, who-"

"Was just leaving." Leo said.

"No, I'm not." He replied.

"You do know the camera adds ten pounds." Calla pointed out. He hesitated, looking down at himself. "And in that outfit, it's more like twenty."

Mr. Davenport smiled at the camera. "Excuse me while I change into something a little more flattering."

He ran off down the hall, leaving Calla and Leo smirking until Leo realized something. "Wait, stay out of my closet!"

Leo ran after him and Calla sighed. She looked at the camera. "Well, I'm Calla Parker and I will be right back."

She turned to me. "I'm going to go deal with that. Don't mess this up." She growled the last bit before running down the hall after them. I smiled and looked at the camera.

"Hi everybody, I'm Chase!" I greeted. "This is the lab where we train for missions…well actually," I smirked," they train for missions. I'm always mission ready."

Bree scoffed. "Uh, your shoe's untied." I bent down to retie my shoe while Bree stepped forward to the camera.

"Just to set the record straight, I can keep a boyfriend. He's right…" She turned around to realize Jaden had left as well. I figured he would have – he hadn't thought this was a good idea either. "Well, apparently I lost him, but he's cute, so ha!"

I stood up, about to add something else when Adam returned to the room, without a shit on. The cameramen turned to point their cameras at him, and he began striking poses for the audience.

"Adam, what are you doing?" I questioned.

"What I do everyday at this time!" He shouted, not taking his eyes off the camera. "Leading the bionic team by doing strength poses!"

We just shook our heads at him, about to tell him to knock it off when an alarm came from the computer. Recognizing the sound immediately, I glanced at the others.

"It's the president with a mission alert!" I ran to the computer to accept the call.

"That means there's an emergency somewhere." Bree explained to the cameras.

"Mr. President, we got the alert." I greeted the man on the screen.

"Listen, there's a power surge at a major electrical tower, and it's too dangerous for anyone else to handle it." The president explained. "I need you to fix the broken transformer before it blows and starts a nation-wide chain reaction."

"We're on it." I promised. He nodded.

"Good luck. The country is counting on you." We nodded and he pointed at Adam. "And would also like you to put a shirt on."

The screen turned off and we turned to the cameras once more. "Hear that?" Bree asked. "The president is asking us for help."

"Come on. We have to go." I told them. Bree frowned.

"What about the cameras?" She asked. I smirked, already having thought about that.

"Bring them with us. That way people can see what really happens when we save the world."

Adam grinned, lying his arm on top of my head as if it was an armrest. "Good idea,  _little_  brother."

I pushed the arm off, disgusted. "It's mission time!" Adam shouted, grabbing his mission suit shirt and jacket off a chair and running out of the room. We followed him instantly.

** Calla's POV **

"You ditched them, didn't you?" I asked, watching Jaden sneak into the living room. He nodded with a sigh.

"I came her to hang out with my girlfriend, not be on TV." He replied. "I love her, but Bree needs to realize that I'm not arm candy that she can show off whenever she wants."

I chuckled, sitting down on the couch. "She's only doing that because the rumour bothered her so much."

"And I don't get why it would!" Jaden argued. "Who cares if people think she can't keep a boyfriend? We both know the truth, and in my opinion, that's all that matters."

I smiled softly. "You really don't get it, do you?" I realized. He frowned and I shook my head. "Jaden, the only reason that rumour hit her so hard is because she's afraid that she is going to lose you."

"Why would she think that?" Jaden looked so confused, like a lost puppy. I shrugged.

"Because she's in love with you and love makes us girls nervous." I told him. "Do you seriously think that all those rumours about Chase and Sabrina and Chase and Skylar weren't making me a little insecure before Chase talked to me about them?"

"You're never insecure." He pointed out. I shrugged.

"Sometimes. But of course Chase made sure I knew that they were just that – rumours." I looked at him. "Jaden, just talk to her. Let her know that she's not going to lose you, and I'm sure she'll relax."

Jaden looked at me. "When did you become so smart?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "I've always been this smart."

He opened his mouth to reply or to tease me, but never got a chance to say anything. "Okay, we're here!" The sounded like Principal Perry. "I'll ring the doorbell. If no one answers, I'll just knock her down."

"Is that Perry?" Leo asked, walking into the kitchen. The doorbell rang and I rushed to open the door. Perry walked in, a group of what appeared to be tourists following her.

"Right this way folks!" She announced. "Ignore the kids – they're window dressing."

"What are you doing?" Leo demanded as people ran in, taking photos of pretty much everything.

"Since you won't let me steal stuff, I'm giving bionic house tours." Perry replied. "A gal's got to make a buck somehow."

"Bionic house tours?" Jaden repeated, although our principal ignored him. She turned to crowd.

"Who's enjoying Terry Perry's bionic experience?" She asked. The tourists clapped and cheered.

"You can't give tours of our house! This is private property!" Leo shouted, clearly upset. If Perry noticed, she ignored it.

"So is the fountain at the mall, but I still drain it for bus money." She replied before turning back to the tourists. "Those of you who purchased the meal option, the bionic fridge is over there. It's all you can eat, but SAVE ME SOME SALAMI!"

"Perry, get them out of here, or I'll call the police." Jaden threatened, crossing his arms.

"Go for it." She challenged. I smirked.

"And your parole officer." I added. She looked at me for a moment, trying to decide if I was serious, then spun around when she realized I was.

"Alright folks, let's take it outside!" She called, leading her people away. I smirked and grabbed the TV remote.

"So, who wants to watch our favourite bionics on live TV?" I asked, changing the channel to show Adam, Bree, and Chase at some electrical plant. We had no way of knowing that a disaster was about to unfold.

** Chase's POV **

"Alright, listen up, bionic subordinates!" I shouted once we reached the mission site. Okay, maybe I was going a little overboard with this (or, at least that's what Calla would say if she was here) but I needed the viewers to realize that I was the one in charge, not Adam. "Here's my plan. Bree, use your superspeed to see if the power surge has spread to any other towers."

"Oh, I get it. You just want me off camera!" She accused. I glared at her, although I knew that she was partially true.

"I want you to follow orders." I snapped. "Adam, you can stand over there since there's nothing to lift or hit."

He chuckled. "Oh Chase, with you around, there's always something to hit."

He punched me hard in the arm before walking off camera. I rubbed my sore arm, then focused on showing off for the camera some more. "You see, fixing an electrical transformer is a walk in the park. I'll just use my telekinesis to stabilize it. That's right folks, mission leader."

I stepped towards the transformer when I heard Adam speak to the camera. "Now get ready everybody. This is where he touches his temple. Ooh."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to touch my temple!" I snapped. "I'm going to hold my hand out like this."

Raising my arm, I got ready to fix the transformer. Bree, however, didn't seem to happy with my plan.

"While he does that, I'm going to use my superspeed to speed up the tower and fix the transformer." She ran forward, but I stopped her with telekinesis, holding her in place. "Let go of me, Chase!" She cried, glaring back at me over her shoulder.

"Step aside children." Adam told us. He looked at the camera. "Daddy's got this."

He started forward, but I couldn't let him take the spotlight from me. "No you don't!" I shouted, jumping onto his back.

Unfortunately for Bree, she hadn't expected me to release her and she sped forward right into the tower. She hit a beam with a loud clang before dropping to the ground. "Ow!" She groaned, sitting up slowly while I tried to stop Adam from ruining things.

In the middle of our fight, I heard her shout. "Keep fighting boys, I'm going up!"

"I don't think so!" Adam called, running at her with me still on his back. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her away from the tower.

Suddenly, my bionic hearing picked up a startling noise. "Watch out!" I called, leaping off of Adam just as a massive electrical wire swung towards the ground. "Stay back!" I had to shout to be heard over the electrical sparks. "Those are live wires. Don't touch them!"

"Please don't tell me that was main transformer." Bree pleaded. I sighed.

"We were so busy arguing, it blew up." I suddenly remembered the cameras. "And the whole world just saw it."

** Calla's POV **

"Well?" I heard Leo call from behind me. I bit my tongue as I rewired some of the wires.

"Give me five seconds!" I called back, fixing the last of the wires. Suddenly, the whirl of electricity filled the air. I smirked, crawling out from under the generator. "Do we have power?"

Jaden hit on one of the light switches and the lights flickered on in the lab. "Yep, nice work."

"Thanks." I replied, accepting his hand up. Most of the country was without power, but Mr. Davenport had made sure that the lab's power ran on a different source than the rest of the house. It had been ideal for keeping the lab a secret for the past few years, and in case of black out, the lab would still be operational. Suddenly, we heard footsteps and angry shouts.

"I can't believe we blew the mission!" That was Chase. We all exchanged looks and headed out of the back room.

"Chase, relax. All we have to do is create a bigger disaster somewhere else and people will forget all about this." Adam assured him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I demanded, storming into the main part of the lab.

"That explosion took out power grids all over the country!" Jaden added. Leo nodded and showed them a computer screen.

"You grounded flights, caused traffic accidents. People are freaking out." He told them. Bree turned to Chase.

"This is all your fault." She accused. "If you had just let me go up the tower, none of this would have ever happened!"

"Don't blame me! You guys are the ones who didn't follow orders!" He retorted, just as furious.

"Yeah, because they were stupid orders!" Adam snapped. "And don't drag me into this, it was Bree's fault!"

Bree stared at him. "How is this my fault?" She demanded. Adam shrugged.

"I don't know. You were next in the blame circle!" He exclaimed. They began arguing with each other while we watched.

"Knock it off! You're all to blame." Mr. Davenport shouted, walking into the room and successfully shutting them up. "And everybody knows it because it's on every news channel in the world."

To prove his point, Leo showed them one of the many, many news headlines. It read: Bionic Teens Cause Nationwide Blackout

"People are furious." Mr. Davenport continued. "They're saying you're irresponsible, that you can't be trusted. You've managed to turn the whole world against you."

"I know how we can fix this." Leo said suddenly, a thoughtful look on his face. "A commercial-free sit down with opera. Which one of you cries best?"

He already had his phone out, ready to make the call. "This can not be fixed with PR." Mr. Davenport snapped. He looked at the bionics again. "Do you realize the gravity of what you've done?"

Suddenly, an alarm came from the computer. "What's that?" Jaden asked, having never been in the lab when we got one of these calls.

"That would be the presumably very angry president." I replied, reading the message. I looked at Mr. Davenport. "He wants a video-conference with us in twenty minutes."

Mr. Davenport started crying. "This is bad, this is really, really bad!" He cried, weeping like a child. We watched him for a moment, then glanced at Leo.

"Call Opera, I've think I've found our crier." I told him. He nodded, already dialling the number.

** Xxx **

"Yes, my clients have upset some people. How much would it cost to send some fruit baskets to the east coast?" Leo, talking on the phone, entered the living room. Jaden and I were already on the couch, trying to think of a way to fix this. We had been on all the websites we could think of, trying to defend Adam, Bree, and Chase, but to no avail. Every time we brought up a time that they saved the world, we were shot down by more and more haters. "No, no. The entire east coast." Leo corrected. He frowned, then glanced at me. "Calla, how much money does Big D have in his bank accounts?"

Before I could answer, Perry walked in, carrying a t-shirt in one hand. "You Daven-dorks killed my business!" She accused.

Leo sighed. "I'm going to have to call you back." He told whomever he was speaking with before hanging. He looked at Perry. "What?"

"Now that everybody hates the bionic freaks, I can't sell a single ticket or souvenir. And I just spent ten grand making T-shirts." She held up the shirt for us to see. It read: Terry Perry's Bionic Bonanza! in black letters with Adam, Bree, and Chase's pictures in the middle.

"Bree's not the leader of the team, Perry." Jaden pointed out. She frowned and looked down at the shirt.

"That's not Bree, that's Chase." She replied. Jaden bit back a chuckle, while I glared at Perry. The Chase-is-a-girl jokes were seriously getting old.

Suddenly, the sound of chanting came from outside. "I thought you said you couldn't sell any tour tickets." Leo frowned, glancing at the door. I sat my laptop down on the coffee table, opened the door, and stepped onto the porch.

"Who cares if they're bionic? The kids are near moronic!" I was greeted by a large crowd of angry people holding protest signs. As far as protest chants go, it was actually kind of creative, but it was still a terrifying sight. I backed up into the house, closing the door behind me and leaning against it.

"Leo, you have an angry mob on your lawn." I informed said boy. Eyes widening, Leo poked him head out the door. He shut it seconds later.

"Well that's just great!" He exclaimed sarcastically. I sighed and looked at Jaden.

"Call Mom, see if she and some of her other officers can deal with this." I ordered. Jaden nodded, pulling out his phone and stepping into the kitchen to make the call.

"Big D's going to freak out." He said. He glanced at Perry. "You should go talk to them."

"Me? Why me?" She protested.

"I don't know! I just figured that you had more experience with angry mobs!" Leo replied, looking slightly panicked. I didn't blame him for that one.

"Well, yeah, but to be fair, I'm usually the one starting them!" Perry replied. She sighed. "Alright, out of my way."

She pushed past us and headed outside, the door closing behind her. I looked at Leo, unsure of how we could possibly fix this. Fruit baskets weren't going to work, that was for sure. "What are we going to do?"

** Chase's POV **

"Obviously, you've seen the consequences of your careless behaviour." The president was not pleased with us, as expected. And why should he be? Now that we'd all calmed down a little, the guilt was starting to hit us hard. "People from all over the country are extremely upset."

"Wait, because their power's out, or because they can't finish watching our awesome reality show?" Adam asked stupidly.

"We understand, Mr. President." Mr. Davenport assured him.

"We'll do everything we can to fix this." I agreed.

"I'm afraid fixing this is beyond your control." The president replied. "I'm getting calls from officials all over telling me to lock you up."

We all froze, eyes widening. No, they couldn't do that! "Lock us up?" Bree repeated.

"We messed up one mission. What about the hundreds of missions that were successful?" I demanded.

"Unfortunately, people only care about what they saw on TV." The president pointed out. He waited a moment for that to sink in, then added, "But I still believe in you. So I'm going to hold a press conference to try and convince the country to stand by you."

At least someone had our backs. "Thank you."

"In the meantime, no more missions. Don't leave the house, don't talk to anyone." We all nodded, then Adam frowned.

"Did we just get grounded by the president?" He asked. Thinking about it, he was right. For once.

The president signed off, and I looked at the others. "Think Calla, Jaden, and Leo are still mad at us?" I asked. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"Go." He gestured at the elevator. Knowing that he wanted time away from us, we did as we were told. When we got upstairs, we could hear shouts from outside. Leo was standing by the door, ear pressed to it, Jaden was pacing the room, his arms crossed, and Calla was on the couch, tapping her hands nervously against her closed laptop.

"What's going on?" I asked. Both Calla and Jaden stopped what they were doing, and all three of our friends looked at us.

"You guys have your own angry mob. Congrats." Calla told us sarcastically. We stared at her, then turned to the others for a more in-depth explanation.

"Angry protestors that are demanding that you leave Mission Creek." Jaden explained.

"What?" Adam demanded. I looked at him.

"Well to be honest, I'm surprised that they didn't ask you to leave years ago." I commented.

"Chase." Calla scolded with a shake of her head. "Not now."

"Wait, why do they want us to move?" Bree asked, looking at us. "This is our home."

I sighed. "Okay, the president said that he was going to take care of things." I reminded her, trying to stop her from freaking out. "Let's just stay calm and hope for the best."

"I already called my mom and she's getting some guys to disperse the crowd." Jaden assured my sister, hugging her from behind. "And Perry's outside dealing with things."

"Shouldn't one of us check on her?" Leo asked looking at Calla and I. "She's been out there for twenty minutes already."

"Good idea. We'll stay here." Calla replied. He gave her a look, but opened the door to head onto the porch. He was greeted by Perry, who was leading a new chant.

"Go away freaks! Get out of Mission Creek!" She chanted, holding a red sign that said 'Stop bionics'.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Leo demanded, staring at her.

"Getting on the right side of history." She replied. Leo rolled his eyes and pulled her inside, closing the door.

"You're supposed to be helping us!" Leo shouted.

"I know, but I still have a ton of T-shirts and stuff, so now I'm selling bionic souvenirs so people can burn them!" She exclaimed cheerfully.

"Perry!" Calla growled. Perry sighed.

"Look, I can see you're upset, and despite my enjoyment of it, I'm going to make it up to you." She decided. She grabbed her megaphone, opened the door, and shouted, "Attention unwashed masses, remove yourselves from the premises! Don't make me get my crossbow!"

Instead of leaving, they began throwing garbage and tomatoes at her (seriously, where did they get the tomatoes?). "Dooley, do something!" Perry ordered, getting behind Leo.

"Alright, back off!" He ordered. They did not. "Now!" He shouted, raising his hand. A fireball shot from it, hitting the exterior wall. Everyone froze. "Uh-oh."

"It's another bionic freak!" One of the people shouted. Calla jumped to her feet.

"Leo, close the door, now!" She ordered, but it was too late.

"Get him!" The crowd rushed forward, trying to pull Leo outside. Bree, Calla, and I rushed forward, grabbing Leo's hands.

"Help me!" He shouted as we tried to save him from the angry mob.

"Hey, get out of here!" Adam shouted. They continue to pull our brother out the door. "Leo!"

Suddenly, Adam's superman breath started blowing the protestors out the door, enabling us to pull Leo inside.

"Adam's don't!" We heard Mr. Davenport shout, but it was too late. Half the crowd was already blown across the lawn, and Adam refused to stop until our porch was clear of the protestors.

"Don't what?" He asked when he was done, looking at Mr. Davenport. We all sighed, knowing that Adam had just made the biggest mistake possible.

** Calla's POV **

Within the hour, news of Adam's 'attack' on the public had spread. It was being played on every news channel, on all the radio stations, and even though the angry mob hadn't reformed, none of us dared to leave the house.

"They think we're dangerous!" Bree cried, clearly upset. Mr. Davenport turned to Leo, who was sitting next to me on the couch.

"What were you thinking, using your bionic arm?" He questioned the boy.

"In my defence, I wasn't thinking!" Leo replied. Mr. Davenport gave him a look, but Chase stopped him before he could continue.

"Never mind him." Chase looked at Adam. "How could you attack those people?"

"I didn't attack them, I was trying to protect Leo." Adam defended himself. Bree sighed.

"Well good job. You sent ten protestors to the hospital." Bree informed him. Adam looked momentarily stunned.

"I didn't hear an ambulance!" He argued weakly, guilt all over his face. I looked at him.

"Adam, you blew them to the hospital." Aside from a couple of cuts and bruises, none of them had actually been hurt.

"Idiot." Chase muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Adam looked at him.

"I'm an idiot?" Adam questioned. Chase nodded, his jaw clenched angrily. "There wouldn't have been angry mob if our mission leader had done his job right!"

"Oh, really? I'm always saving your butt! If it weren't for me, you would have lasered your own face off by now!" Chase argued.

"This is getting ugly." Jaden murmured, looking at me. I nodded in agreement, not sure if we should intervene or not.

"What are you complaining about?" Bree demanded. "I'm the one who has to go on every mission with you two morons!"

"Then don't go!" Chase stepped towards his sister. "You've quit before, just do it again!"

"Chase!" Jaden jumped to his feet. "That's going a little too far, don't you think?"

They both ignored him. "Really?" Bree's voice was deadly calm. Never a good sign. "You're going to pull that one out? You know, if I remember correctly, you're the one who took off on us and went on a mission alone, Mr. Avalanche!"

"Hey, knock it off guys!" I exclaimed, walking towards them.

"So what if I did? I'm better off without having to carry you worthless dead-weights!" I stopped, stunned by the hatred in Chase's voice.

"ENOUGH!" Mr. Davenport shouted. They stopped and looked at him, though there was anger still in their eyes. "Would you listen to yourselves? Your selfish behaviour is tearing this team apart and I'm tired of it. Something has to change."

Mr. Davenport walked off without another word. Knowing that these guys had to figure some things out on their own, I led Leo and Jaden down to the lab to wait.

** Chase's POV **

"I told you to lay low! Why would you use your bionics on those people? I can't even defend you now." The president exclaimed. All of us, including Calla, Leo and Jaden, were down in the lab. They wanted to be here for this, though none of them agreed with our decision.

"You don't have to, Mr. President." I told him, my voice solemn.

"Of course I do." He sighed. "You now, people are terrified and they have every right to be."

"No, I mean you don't have to defend us anymore." I repeated myself. "Because as of today, we're dissolving the team."

The president blinked in surprised, taken back. "What?" He asked. "Davenport…is this true?"

Mr. Davenport stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Mr. President. I tried to talk them out of it. But their decision is final. They're done."

With that, we all went our separate ways.

** TWO WEEKS LATER **

** Calla's POV **

Things after that were…tough, to say the least. With Adam, Bree, and Chase not speaking to each other, it was pretty miserable in the Davenport household. Leo got the brunt of it, having to carry messages between the fighting siblings, while Jaden and I had to listen to our significant others complain about what had happened. Eventually, I'd had enough of it and told Chase that I wasn't going to listen to that kind of talk about my friends, but things were still pretty tense.

As for school, it was pretty bad there too. Mr. Davenport had the sense to pull all four of his kids out of school for the time being – possibly permanently, if people continued hating them the way they did. But Jaden and I still had to go and we were pretty unpopular. And once again, the number of friends we had dropped to about…one.

"You've got to be kidding me." I muttered when I saw my locker. Someone, or maybe multiple people, had posted signs on it. Most of them went along the lines of 'Tell the freaks to get lost or else!' or 'get rid of the monsters' or 'the bionics are freaks'! When I opened it, it was worse. The lock had been broken and all of my pictures of the Davenports had been scribbled on and my books were covered in what appeared to be a smoothie. I could only salvage a couple of pictures that weren't too badly ruined and my pencil case. I was suddenly thankful that I had my laptop, cell phone, and wallet with me. I had important documents and access codes on that laptop. It had access to pretty much all of Davenport Industries. If anyone had stolen that…

"Assholes." Kieran commented from behind me. I nodded silently, not daring to speak. If I did, I was either going to completely lose it, or I was going to screaming at some random kid. Neither one was a good option. I felt Kieran take the pencil case out of my hand. "C'mon. I've got room in my locker, and you can borrow some of my books."

"Thanks." I sighed, slamming the locker door and following him to his locker. Jaden met us there, a frustrated frown on his face. It turned into one of concern when he saw my face.

"What happened?" He demanded. I sighed and crossed my arms.

"My locker got vandalized. You?" I asked.

"I got kicked off the football team until I 'dump that bionic bitch'." He quoted before kicking a locker. "I told them to go to hell."

Kieran helped me put my pencil case and other surviving items onto one of the shelves in his locker. "Thanks." I said again. He shook his head.

"It's been two weeks, you think they'd lay off by now." He sighed. "This is ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is that this school has no online courses." I muttered. Seeing his confusion expression, I elaborated. "I was going to change all my classes to online ones so I wouldn't have to come here, but no such luck."

"What are you going to do? Drop out?" Kieran joked. I shrugged.

"Maybe." I muttered. Jaden gave me a look.

"Don't even joke about that." I scowled, frustrated.

"Maybe, I'm not joking." I snapped. "Davenport would hire me in an instant. Besides, I've always been at the top of my classes. I could easily cope with university level online courses."

"Calla, you're not dropping out to take university courses." Jaden growled, going for the one thing that would piss me off.

"You don't get to tell me what to, Jaden!" I nearly shouted.

"Whoa, guys!" Kieran exclaimed, getting between us. "I know things have been stressful, but don't take it out on each other."

We both sighed, knowing he was right. "Sorry." I muttered at the same time as my brother.

"We good?" Kieran asked teasingly. I nodded.

"Yeah, sure." I checked the time to see that we still had an hour before classes restarted, then placed my laptop and the rest of my stuff into Kieran's locker. "Why don't we go have lunch in the library instead of the cafeteria?"

"Good idea." Jaden nodded. We started to head to the library when I noticed Kieran going through his locker. "Kieran, you coming?"

No answer. I frowned. "K-Dog!" I exclaimed. He started, having forgotten that we were there.

"Uh…I'll be right there. Just need to grab something." He called after us. I nodded and headed towards the library. He never showed up.

** ONE WEEK LATER **

** Chase's POV **

"Yes! Yes!" I exclaimed, almost jumping to my feet as the girl on the TV screen correctly spelled the word PIZZAZZ. I glanced at Leo's very bored expression. "I love the international spelling bee! That last word had 4 Zs in it."

"Yeah, a lot of Zs going on here too." He agreed absently. I looked past him to see Adam starting to stir from his nap. My smirk fell at the sight of him.

"Leo." Adam yawned, shifting in his seat. "Tell Chase that nerd hour is up. My home renovation show is on. The Piscarellis are turning their basement into a powder room."

Leo looked at me. "Chase, Adam wants to watch TV. Apparently, the Italians are putting in a toilet."

I heard Calla chuckle from the kitchen, where she was working on her laptop. I wasn't amused though. "Well you can tell Adam that he should have gotten here first."

Without looking at said imbecile, I turned the channel to the sci-fi channel. Doctor Who was going to start in a few minutes, and even though I'd already seen the episode, re-watching it was better than letting Adam have his way.

"He's not changing it." Leo told Adam.

"Tell Chase if he doesn't give me the remote, he's gonna get punched." Adam declared.

"Adam." Calla warned, not looking up from her work. Leo looked at me.

"Chase." He began.

"Not happening." I replied instantly. Leo turned his head to tell Adam when my older brother let out a shout and punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" Leo complained. I sat up to make sure Leo was okay. Just because Adam and I weren't speaking didn't give him an excuse to abuse our step-brother. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, I got confused! I thought you were Chase!" He apologized. "Can you punch him for me?"

Leo stood up suddenly, to our surprise. "That is it!" He exclaimed. "You guys haven't talked for weeks! You can break up the team, but your are not breaking up my family!"

We sat in silence. Neither of us really wanted to hurt Leo or be the one to 'break up the family' but I wasn't ready to speak to him, nor was he ready to speak to me.

"This is the part where you hug it out." Leo encouraged. "Then you say 'yeah Leo you're right! You're always right!' Isn't that what you say?"

Getting annoyed, I stepped into the kitchen and sat down next to Calla. "I'm not getting involved." She told me before I could even open my mouth. I sighed; she'd made it clear weeks ago that she wanted to part of our fight, and I felt obliged to try and behave around her.

"Relax, I wasn't going to say anything. Except, do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" I asked hopefully. Calla sent me a small smile.

"Sure." She agreed before checking her phone. I sighed.

"No sign of Kieran?" I guessed. She gave me a look.

"Chase, he bailed on lunch with me and Jaden a week ago, and no one's seen him since. It's like he vanished off the face of the earth. I'm allowed to be worried about him, aren't I?"

"Have you talked to your mom yet?" I asked, trying to be helpful. I never liked Kieran, but Calla seemed quite fond of him and his disappearance really had her upset. Which meant I had to pretend to be upset and I had to try and help.

Calla nodded. "She went to their house to talk to his parents and…" She lowered her voice, "…there was nothing there. Just an empty house. It looks like there'd been a few parties there, but there was nothing but a half-empty fridge, a few crappy mattresses, and a couple of flashlights. No sign that someone had actually lived there at all."

I frowned. That WAS strange. "Could you have the wrong address on file?" I suggested. Calla shrugged just as Mr. Davenport and Bree walked into the room.

"Mr. Davenport?" Bree was asking. "Can I have fifty dollars? I want to buy a bathing suit for my spring break trip to Hawaii."

"Sure yeah." To my surprise, Mr. Davenport pulled out his wallet without a complaint. "Can you get me one too? Ask the salesperson for a man-kini."

We all stared at him for that. "They'll tell you they don't exist, but trust me, they do." Bree just stared at him. "You know what? I'll get my own."

Bree accepted the money and grabbed a magazine off the coffee table. I looked at Mr. Davenport. "Hold on!" I exclaimed. "She's going to Hawaii? I asked if I could go on an astronomy cruise with Calla and you said no!"

"Yeah, but that was before you quit the team." Mr. Davenport pointed out. "Now that you've completely gutted my greatest achievement, I don't care what you do."

Ah, the guilt trip. He'd been trying to pull that on us for that past few weeks. It was impressive that he was still trying – Calla, Jaden, and Leo had all given up within the first week. Well, it wasn't going to work this time.

"Okay then. I'm off to buy me some Milky Way swim trunks." I ripped the money out of Bree's hands and headed for the door. But the second I opened it, she sped in front of me and took the money out of my hands.

"When will you learn?" She asked teasingly, speaking to me for the first time in weeks. The money clutched in her hand, she sped away, presumably to the mall.

"Here Chase." Mr. Davenport offered me a fifty from his wallet. "I'll take some Milky Way trunks too. I don't know how they're cut, so lean more Little Dipper than Big."

I bit back the lunch that was threatening to reappear. "You can keep your money." I told him. "Because that's not happening."

I walked out, deciding the just grab some money out of my savings account.

** Calla's POV **

"Donny!" When Leo, Mr. Davenport and I walked into the lab, Douglas was waiting for us. "Get in here, quick!"

To our surprise, the president was waiting for us on the video conference line. "Mr. President?" Mr. Davenport greeted, confused.

"He said he'd only talk to you." Douglas explained. "Apparently, I'm just the help."

"Thank you Douglas, that'll be all." Leo told him. I rolled my eyes.

"Douglas, wait." I stopped him before he could leave. "Can you make us some coffees? I'll take mine with 2 milks and 2 sugars."

"Davenport, a high security military base was breached and communications equipment was stolen." The president announced.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir. Do you need some of my tracking technology?" Mr. Davenport offered.

"No. I need Adam, Bree, and Chase." The president replied.

"With all due respect, sir, they dissolved the team." Mr. Daveport reminded him. He nodded.

"Look, our international safety is more important than a squabble between besties." The president stated. "The vice-president and I are going through that right now. Drama! Fix this, and get them back on the job."

"Yes Mr. President." Mr. Davenport nodded.

"And if Adam, Bree, and Chase won't stop those criminals, then we will." Leo did a pose with his arms, the same pose he used to do back when he talked about joining the team. Back when the world was oblivious to Adam, Bree, and Chase's heroics. Back when things were so much simpler. I smiled at the memories, copying Leo's pose.

The president merely laughed. "Thanks kids." He smiled at us. "As awful as things are right now, it feels good to laugh."

The president signed off then. Leo and I smirked at each other before I grabbed my phone and sent a text to our bionic buddies.

** To: Bree and Chase **

** 911 Emergency! Need you home right now! **

"Chase and Bree will be home in a few minutes. Adam's already upstairs watching some home renovation show." I informed Mr. Davenport. He nodded at me.

"Good work. You, Douglas and Leo, get whatever information you can on the burglary. I'll go talk to the guys." He ordered. We nodded and set to work immediately. I looked at Leo after he left and knew I wasn't the only one wondering if he could convince Adam, Bree, and Chase to come back for one last mission.

** Chase's POV **

I raced through the door just behind Bree, wondering what could be the reason for Calla's distressed text. Adam and Mr. Davenport were waiting for us.

"Hey, what's the emergency?" I demanded. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"The president called. There's an emergency and he needs you." He informed us.

"But we told him we quit." Bree reminded Mr. Davenport.

"Yeah, we don't even want to talk to each other. Why would we want to work together?" I asked.

"Yeah." Adam agreed. "And I'm not agreeing with him, I'm just emphasizing his point."

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm getting tired of your selfish attitudes. It is your duty to complete this mission."

"No." I shook my head. "It was our duty. But then people started protesting against us on our own front lawn. Maybe the world needs to get a taste of what it's like without us."

"Yeah!" Adam exclaimed. "Still not agreeing with him. I just feel the exact same way he does."

We all started to walk away, knowing that our team was finished.

** Calla's POV **

"Shit!" I swore, looking at my IPad screen. Douglas looked up from his own.

"What's wrong?" He asked. I looked at him, eyes wide.

"This is the latest news about those criminals." I showed him my screen and his eyes widened when he saw it. "Look familiar?"

"Give me that." Douglas took my laptop from me and walked into the main lab. Adam, Bree, and Chase were in there, along with Leo, but no one was suited up for a mission. "Where's Donny?"

"Probably out trolling the streets for a new set of bionics kids to control." Leo replied with a shrug. Mr. Davenport walked in then.

"I heard that!" He called, startling Leo. He looked at Douglas. "What's wrong?"

"Remember those criminals that the president was talking about?" Douglas questioned. Mr. Davenport nodded. "Well they broke into the Pentagon last night."

"What?" Mr. Davenport demanded. "The Pentagon is the most secure facility in the world."

"Yeah, with all those sides, it would take me all day just to find the entrance."

"No one knows how they did it, but they got them on a surveillance camera." I took the IPad back from Douglas and showed it to my boss. It was a picture of a girl, maybe sixteen years old, with long soft brown hair. Her eyes were glowing an all too-familiar shade of green. "Look. They're our age. And see those eyes? You know what that means."

"The Irish are attacking?" Adam demanded. Mr. Davenport shook his head.

"No. It's Krane." He informed us. Douglas nodded.

"He upgraded the Triton app, so he could control S-1 with his brain. Now he must be controlling multiple bionic kids."

"Multiple kids?" Chase repeated. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know." Douglas admitted. "But if they busted into the Pentagon, I bet they're looking for classified information."

"Why don't we just go to Krane cell and tell him to stop?" Leo suggested. Douglas looked at him like he was stupid.

"Good idea. Then maybe we could tell him that being evil is bad and he'll give us all a great big hug!" He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. I crossed my arms.

"It worked for you." I pointed out, coming to Leo's defence. "But there's something that doesn't make sense." I looked at Chase, then at Mr. Davenport. "If he's got bionic kids under his control that can break into the most secure facility on the planet, why wouldn't he get them to break him out of prison?"

"That's probably his next move." Mr. Davenport nodded at me approvingly for my quick thinking. He turned to Adam, Bree, and Chase. "Sometimes true heroes need to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. I'm not asking you guys to come back forever. Just one last mission. Take out Krane's bionic thugs, and you're done."

They all thought about it for a long time. "Fine." Bree said eventually. "But just to be clear, when we're done, we're done.

"Yeah." Chase nodded. "I can do that."

Adam, meanwhile, was staring off into space, laughing at something only he could see. He suddenly realized that everyone was staring at him. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I was thinking about growing a moustache."

I laughed, the first time in a while. "Just get suited up."

They nodded and stepped into their capsules. Suddenly, elevator music started playing. Leo and I exchanged looks, confused. "What is that?"

"Oh, I get bored waiting for them to change, so I added hold music." Douglas explain, both he and Mr. Davenport grooving to the music. Old timers.

"Let's go get them!" Adam shouted. He ran for the door as Chase and Bree walked towards us.

"We don't even know where we're going yet!" Chase called after him. He stopped and started walking back towards us.

"Right you are." He agreed. Douglas took the IPad from me and started typing in some codes that I didn't recognize.

"When I created the Triton app, I integrated a tracking outlet. We can use that to locate them." He explained. A second later, he grinned triumphantly. "Aha! There's eight of them. They're at an abandoned junkyard right near Pint's Crest."

"Let's go get them!" Adam shouted again, running for the door. He stopped just before leaving. "Where's Pint Crest?"

"Just get in the 4 wheeler. I'll program the coordinates from here." I told him. They started to leave, but I grabbed Chase's arm.

"It'll be fine." He assured me, already knowing what I was going to say. I nodded.

"I know. Just be careful, okay?" I glanced at Adam and Bree, who were waiting for him. "And watch our for them, alright? I know you guys are fighting, but they're still your brother and sister."

Chase sighed. "Got it. I love you." He kissed me on the nose quickly, flashed me a reassuring smile, then ran after them.

I glanced at Mr. Davenport. "I'll program the coordinates." I told him. He shook his head.

"Leo can do that. I've got a job for you." He pulled me aside, towards the door. "Leo's Christmas/Birthday present, is it done?"

I didn't even bother to ask how he knew about it. "Finished it last night. It's in my room."

"Go get it." He instructed. He glanced sideways to make sure Leo wasn't listening in. "I have a feeling he's going to need it."

"Yes sir." I nodded before running off, my stomach twisting in worry. If Mr. Davenport thought that Leo would need it…then things were much worse than I thought.

** Chase's POV **

It took us about half an hour to get to Pint's Crest. Bree's superspeed would have been faster, but it would have been more noticeable if we sped into the middle of the junkyard. As it was, we had to climb in over a fence.

"Alright, I know we haven't been the best of friends lately," I hissed to my siblings, "but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to work together."

"Agreed." Bree nodded.

"Which means I'm in charge." I added.

"No you're not!" Adam objected loudly. Bree slapped a hand over his mouth as we hushed him.

"Get down." I hissed, ducking behind a group of battles and plastic boxes. From what I could see, the eight bionic cronies were working with some technology, a couple of them adjusting a satellite dish.

"What are they building?" Bree asked.

"That must be the communications equipment they stole." I replied.

"Maybe they're just trying to get the Sunday football package?" Adam offered unhelpfully. "Aw! I bet they're Jets fans."

I frowned as more cronies entered the scene. There were too many of them. "Wait, there were only eight before. Where did they come from?"

Suddenly, several cronies appeared out of nowhere. They teleported in, just like Krane could. "It's an entire bionic army!" I realized in horror.

"What do we do?" Bree asked me.

"I say we go back to hating each other and take our vacations." Adam decided.

"No!" I snapped. "If we're going to take on that many, we're going to need a better plan. Let's go tell Mr. Davenport and re-strategize."

"Good idea." Adam stood up, knocking over several boxes. Suddenly, dozens of pairs of green, glowing eyes were on us. "Uh…we were just leaving…"

"No! Stay a while, why don't you?" A familiar voice called. The crowd parted and a familiar brown haired boy stepped forward, his once hazel eyes glowing green. We stared in shock.

"Kieran?" Bree gasped. The boy smirked.

"The name is K-9." He replied. He glanced at his fellow cronies. "Get them!"

"Grab on!" Bree didn't wait for us to reply, instead grabbing our arms and speeding us away. Seconds later, we found ourselves skidding to a stop in our driveway, Bree gasping to regain her breath.

"A bionic army…" Adam muttered, looking at us. Bree nodded.

"And Kieran…I mean, what the hell was that about? Why was he there?" She questioned. I shook my head, not able to answer her.

"Come on." I jumped to my feet and ran towards the lab. Mr. Davenport and Douglas were at the consol, Calla and Leo were on their computers, while Jaden watched over his sister's shoulder.

"They're back!" Jaden saw us first, opening his arms just as Bree ran to hug him.

"Mr. Davenport, it's worse than we thought." I announced. "Krane isn't just controlling a few random kids. He has an entire bionic army."

"Girls too." Adam added with a grin. "Some of them were hot."

"A whole army. How is that possible?" Mr. Davenport questioned, as confused as the rest of us.

"When Krane bought my technology, he must have started genetically engineering those kids behind my back." Douglas realized. "Although it does explain the hundreds of baby pictures all over his warehouse."

"Oh, and guess who was there." I added, looking directly at Calla. She frowned.

"Krane? S-1?" She guessed. I crossed my arms and shook my head.

"Kieran." I told her. She blinked, surprise and confusion evident in her eyes.

"What do you mean Kieran was there?" She asked, frowning.

"He means that he's one of Krane's cronies." Bree clarified. Calla looked shocked.

"Did you know about this?" Mr. Davenport questioned. Calla shook her head.

"I…no. No! If I knew that he was bionic, you know I would have told you guys." She assured us. I sighed.

"Alright. We believe you." I agreed. She still looked upset.

"I trusted him. We were friends." She crossed her arms. "This is like Marcus all over again, isn't it?"

"Calla…" I began. She cut me off with a glare.

"Chase Davenport, if you even dare utter the words 'I told you so' I will kill you where you stand." She threatened. I raised my hands in a surrender position, shutting up before it killed me.

"What are we going to do?" Bree asked Mr. Davenport. Suddenly, the screen behind Leo's desk turned on. It showed the president's office, with one more occupant than usual.

"Krane!" Leo exclaimed. The man glared at us from the screen, though Adam clearly misunderstood the situation.

"Good job, Mr. President! You caught Krane!" Adam exclaimed. "Our work here is done."

We walked towards the screen. "Whatever you do, do not negotiate with this man." The president ordered, much to Krane's amusement.

"I don't negotiate." He chuckled. The president tried to run for it, only for Krane to stop him using his telekinesis. "Sit down." He growled.

"How did you escape?" Leo demanded.

"It's amazing what an army of bionic teens can do if they really put their minds together." Krane replied. So Calla was right. It was their next move.

"We're on to you Krane." I told him. "We know you're using your Triton app to control them."

"Oh, I'm not just controlling them." Krane replied. "Now that I've perfected this technology, I can transmit the Triton app to anyone. Allow me to demonstrate."

We all watched in horror as Krane pulled out a black device and held it above the president's head. It glowed green for a few seconds until the president's eyes changed color to the signature green of the Triton app. "Would you look at that. Now the most powerful man in the world is under my control. Ha ha ha!"

"Why are you doing this, Krane?" Mr. Davenport demanded.

"Ordinary humans are inferior, my soldiers have proven that." He replied. "So together, we're going to create a one nation state under bionic rule."

"Well it sounds like someone's been watching too many X-Men movies. Seriously, you've got this whole Magneto complex going on." Calla accused. "But that's your plan, is it? To create a bionic dictatorship?"

"No one in their right mind would ever bow down to you." Bree almost snarled.

"They won't have a choice." Krane declared. "Once my Triton's signal connects with Davenport's satellite, they'll beam an electromagnetic wave over the entire planet. Then, I'll be the most powerful man in the world."

"Good luck. You can't access my satellite without the classified security code." Mr. Davenport challenged. Krane smirked.

"You mean the code that I had K-9 copy from Calla Parker's laptop?" He asked. We all froze.

"Kieran…" Calla muttered, eyes widening. "I trust him. This is my fault."

"No it's not." I assured her, glaring at Krane as he put in the codes. "He tricked you. He tricked all of us."

"Except for you." She murmured. Krane smirked.

"There." He announced. "Now the satellite is orbiting right into the path of my Triton's signal. Don't you just love technology?"

The video cut out then. Calla sunk down into Leo's chair, the rest of us looking at each other. "Krane's army is constructing a satellite dish." I told the others. "That must be how they're going to transmit the signal."

"Okay, we have to shut it down." Adam decided.

"But how?" Bree questioned. "He has too many soldiers."

"We don't have a choice. If Krane succeeds, it'll be the end of the world as we know it." Douglas told us.

"He's right." Mr. Davenport agreed. "But if you're going to fight an entire army, I'm going to have to max out your bionics. Get in your capsules."

We nodded, doing as were told. As he boosted our bionics, he continued to give out orders. "Douglas, go and find our most powerful weapons. Leo-"

"I know. Stay here and modify everything on the commset." Leo interrupted him. To everyone's surprise, Mr. Davenport shook his head.

"Jaden can do that." Said boy nodded and settled himself down at one of the desks. "You're coming with us."

"What?" Leo looked shocked. We stepped out of our capsules, moving to stand beside him. "Is this another one of your 'Let's Use Leo as Bait' plans?"

"No, we need all the help we can get. And after all the hard training you've put in with Calla and Douglas, you've earned the right to fight alongside this family."

"Yes!" Leo screamed, beginning to dance. He ran around the lab, doing cartwheels of joy, screaming the word "Yes."

"Sir?" Calla asked with a small smile. "Can I give him his Christmas/Birthday present now?"

"What present?" Leo asked. Still smiling, Calla pulled an unwrapped box out from under her desk.

"Happy Christmas/Birthday Leo." She teased slightly. Frowning, he opened the box. Although we couldn't yet see it, he gasped and stared at her with wide eyes. Then he slowly pulled a brand new mission suit from the box.

"Calla…" He broke off, unable to find words. She smiled.

"Suit up, Dooley." She instructed. He nodded and ran off, clutching the suit to his chest. She glanced at us.

"He's been asking for one since you guys went on your first mission. I figured it was high time he got one." She explained. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"Calla, as for you-" She cut him off with a glare.

"I'm fighting." She announced. Before he could object, she continued. "Kieran got those codes because I messed up. That's on me. I need to help fix this. And I'm done being afraid of Victor Krane."

Mr. Davenport chuckled. "I figured you'd say something like that. I've got a mission suit ready for you in the back."

Calla looked at him, surprised. "I thought I said…"

"I figured you'd insist on coming with these guys one day. And since Chase is obviously never letting you go, I figured it would be better if you had a suit."

Grinning, Calla ran off to the backroom to find her suit.

** Xxx **

"Let's do this." Leo declared, stepping out from the hall wearing his brand new mission suit. It was black, like ours, but with a little more padding on the shoulders and knees. He had combat boots, a black jacket with a hood. The major additions to it were the Davenport Industries logo on his chest, and his right jacket sleeve (the one with the bionic arm) was read instead of black.

"Calla really outdid herself this time." I muttered. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"What do you think?" He asked. Leo thought about his answer.

"I think you should donate the rest of my clothes to charity because I am never taking this thing off." He decided.

"I'm glad you like it." Calla's voice came from behind us. We turned around to face her and…wow, just wow.

Her mission suit was completely black, head to toe, with the exception of Davenport logo. She was wearing knee-high boots with an ankle holster on one of them, leather pants, a leather jacket with the Davenport Logo on the right shoulder, a black shirt underneath, and fingerless gloves. It was the perfect combination of deadliness and beauty.

Although, she seemed a little less deadly when she twirled in a circle for me, a nervous smile on her face. "Well?" She asked hesitantly. "How do I look?"

"Badass." I replied, much to her satisfaction. She grinned and kissed me on the cheek.

"Alright, let's do this." She announced, walking to her desk and pulling out both her plasma gun and the Paragun.

"Leo, one more thing." Douglas stopped him. He pressed a few buttons on the computer, the nodded to himself. "There. I just unlocked a new ability for you. Energy transference. Now your bionic hand will be able to absorb the energy from any power source." He gestured at the light next to us. "Give it a shot."

Leo raised his hand towards the light and suddenly, all the power was drained into his hand. When he pulled away, it was like there was a ball of pure energy sitting on his palm. "Oh, I can definitely get used to this."

"Nice Leo." Adam grinned. "Now you can suck all the energy out of things. Like Chase." I sent my brother a glare, but it was too late to argue. It was time to go.

** Calla's POV **

When we got to the junkyard, armed and dangerous, there was no one to be seen. Kinda a let down that my first mission had no one to see me in this totally awesome outfit.

"And there's nobody here." Chase stated the obvious.

"Maybe they left?" Bree suggested, looking around.

"Where would they go?" Douglas questioned. Adam shrugged.

"Well, the Jets are playing Green Bay." Adam replied. I looked at Adam.

"Yes, because all evil bionic bad guys take time off to watch football." I commented sarcastically. Bree laughed lightly.

"Come on Adam. Let's go make sure they aren't hiding anywhere." She led him off to the far end of the junkyard, the most likely place for the bionic people to be hiding.

"I'll calculate the satellite trajectory to see how much time we have left." Chase offered, focusing his computer brain. While he did so, we made sure our weapons were locked and loaded. Those cronies could be anywhere. "Only eight minutes until Krane's signal connects with that satellite."

Suddenly, a commotion coming from Adam and Bree's direction caught our attention. "Leo, go help Adam and Bree." Mr. Davenport instructed. "We'll take care of the satellite dish."

"Copy that." Leo nodded, running off to help his siblings. Mr. Davenport and Douglas stepped forwards to deal with the dish while Chase and I stayed back to keep an eye out for trouble.

"Hey Calla, Chase. You guys miss me?" We spun around at the sound of Kieran's voice. Chase was right – he was one of them. He stood about ten paces from us, dressed in the same ugly stuff the rest of Krane's cronies were wearing.

"Who would miss you?" Chase countered, activating his plasma bow staff. Kieran wasn't impressed.

"That's cute. Too bad this isn't a piñata party. But let's see what comes out of you when I hit you with this." He raised his hand and his own staff appeared, glowing red and looking more like a tuning fork than a bow staff.

"Okay then." Chase rolled his eyes. "Calla, I've got this."

"Kick his ass, babe." I replied, backing up to give them some room. I was about to turn and help Mr. Davenport and Douglas when I came face to face with that girl from the surveillance camera.

"Going somewhere?" She teased before sending a ball of electricity at my head. I ducked, rolled, and shot back at her. She merely stood there and let the shot go right through her. Although it should have seriously hurt her, it flew right through her stomach, reappearing on the other side without damaging her at all.

"Intangibility!" I hissed to myself. Of course! "Who are you?"

"They call me R-10." She replied before jumping into the air and kicking me in the ribs. I fell to the ground with a groan, but a couple of shots from my plasma gun sent her backwards. Clearly, she couldn't maintain the intangibility for a long period of time and if she wanted to hurt me, she'd have to deactivate it. I could use that in my favour.

"Wait, Kie…I mean, K-9's friend?" I asked. Of course they were both evil. What the hell, man? I thought we were friends!

"Something like that." R-10 replied, charging at me. I rolled over, kicking my legs out at the last minute. Tripping over them, she fell to the ground. Before she could get up, I pushed her down with my foot and held my plasma gun to her head.

"Surrender." I ordered. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

She smirked. She must have activated her intangibility ability because my foot went right through her. She rolled away, then shot a ball of electricity at me. Slightly unprepared for the attack, I leapt behind a few barrels, barely dodging the blast.

From my hiding spot, I could see everyone else's fights still going on. Adam and Bree were working together to take out their enemies, but it was clear that they were outnumbered. Leo was fighting S-1. It was hard to tell who was winning though. And the Davenport brothers were fighting Krane.

"C'mon Parker!" I heard R-10 shout. "Are you hiding like a coward?"

Fuelled by anger and adrenaline, I shot a few blasts over the barrels. I didn't look long enough to see if it hit her, but I knew that I was going to need a better plan than this if I was going to win.

** Chase's POV **

To my genuine surprise, Kieran was actually good with a bo staff. But I was better. Every time he tried to get a hit in, I deflected it, until I eventually tripped him using my bo staff. He landed on his back on the ground and I swung my bo staff at his head.

Unfortunately, he held my blow back with his own staff, and kicked my feet out from under me. I landed on the ground for a second, but was back on my feet within seconds. After several more attempts to knock me down, I finally had enough of Kieran. I flipped him onto his back, and held my bo staff to his neck.

"Gotta admit." Kieran groaned out. "Didn't see that one coming."

I smirked. "No one messes with my girl and gets away with it."

"Really? Because R-10's about to kill your girl." Kieran nodded to a spot to my right me. Turning my head just enough to keep Kieran in my sights and check on Calla, I could see her fighting some brown haired girl.

I turned back to Kieran, but not before sending a plasma ball towards the bionic soldier. I heard a shout, then another blast, then Calla's voice. "Thanks babe!"

"Help Leo!" I called.

"On it!" Was her reply. I turned back to Kieran with a smirk.

"You were saying?"

** Calla's POV **

Okay, technically, it was Chase's plasma ball that knocked R-10 to the ground, but it was my Paragun who took her out of the fight, so I was taking credit for that one. Meanwhile, when I finally reached Leo, there was nothing for me to do.

"Give it up, Dooley. Your dinky are isn't going to save you this time." S-1 growled. Leo was on the ground below her, but judging from his facial expression as she whipped out a fireball, he wasn't through.

Just as she was about to finish him, he raised his hand, catching fire ball with his energy transference. "Actually," he stood up shakily, holding her attack back, "I think it is."

"Where did that come from?" S-1 demanded as he drained the power from her attack.

"It came with the threads." He replied, pulling back with the fire in his palm. "S-1, you're S-Done!"

He shot her own attack back at her, sending her flying through the air. We never saw her land. "Yes! Oh yeah!" Leo exclaimed. I laughed.

"Great, you beat her. Now help me with Mr. Davenport and Douglas." I instructed. Spinning around, Leo nodded and together, we ran towards the satellite dish.7

When we got there, Douglas was nowhere to be seen (probably hiding, if I knew him at all) while Mr. Davenport was holding both weapons in his hands and facing Krane. He shot a series of blasts at Krane's chest, and shoulders, knocking the psychopath back several steps. That is, until Krane hit him in the chest with a fire ball. It pushed my boss backwards, knocking both weapons out of his hands.

Leo and I watched in horror as Mr. Davenport charged at Krane, only to receive a very, very bad blow to the chest. It sent him flying.

"Mr. Davenport!" "Big D!" Leo and I shouted, racing after him to make sure he was alright.

** Chase's POV **

I pushed my way through a crowd of beaten cronies to reach my siblings. "Guys!" I called. "We only have three minutes."

I spun around, kicking one of the bionic soldiers in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

"We'll never get past all them in time!" Bree cried, hitting another guy out of the way.

"Every time we take out five, twenty more show up!" Adam exclaimed, taking out another one. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Wait. We don't have to take out the army or stop the satellite signal." I began. Adam frowned.

"Then why are we here?" He demanded. I gave him a look.

"If we take out Krane, the Triton App will be disabled and the soldiers will deactivate." I explained.

"But how?" Bree asked me. "Krane is a powerhouse and we're already exhausted. There's no way we're going to beat him in time."

"Yes there is!" Douglas' head poked out from behind a bush. We looked at him, confused as to why he was hiding. "I'm not hiding. I…picking berries to use as weapons." He saw the expressions on our faces. "They could be poisonous."

"You were saying that we had a chance to beat Krane?" I looked at him. He nodded and climbed out of his bush.

"Look, when I created your chips, I installed a link that fuses all of your bionics so you can fight as one." He explained.

"Wait, why didn't you tell us this before?" Bree asked.

"It's never been tested." Douglas replied. "The results could be catastrophic."

I checked my watch and sighed. "We only have two minutes left." I warned the others. I looked at Douglas. "How do we do it?"

My brother and sister looked at me like I was crazy. "Chase, did you not hear him? If we fuse our abilities, we may not make it."

I could see she was afraid and to be honest, I was too. But some things were more important than our fear. "We have no choice. We're the only chance this world has."

"He's right." Adam agreed solemnly.

Bree looked at us, then let out a sigh. She turned to Douglas. "Okay. What do we do?"

"Chase, use your override app on Adam and Bree. Then stand back to back so that your chips form a perfect triangle. The energy will flow from one person to the next until you've built up one massive force." He quickly explained. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my bush."

"Alright." Bree sighed. "Come on. Let's go."

"Wait." I stopped them. If this was going to be the end, then I had something I had to say. "In case something happens to us, I want you guys to know that I'm really sorry about the way that I acted."

Bree nodded. "Me too."

"Apologies accepted." Adam grinned. We looked at him. "Okay, I'm sorry too."

I smiled. "Alright. Let's do this."

We walked together, side by side towards Krane. He was surrounded by his army in front of the satellite dish, but that didn't stop us.

"Let them through." It was clear that Krane wanted to finish this himself. The crowd of soldiers parted, forming a circle around us. "I think it's time we finished this, don't you?"

We didn't answer. "You could have ruled right alongside us." Krane continued. "But instead you chose to defy me. And for what? To sacrifice yourselves for a world of ungrateful humans that won't even accept you!"

"They may not accept us, but it's our mission to protect them." I replied, keeping my voice steady.

Krane laughed. "Then I guess this is the end of you!" His army rushed forward, but he called them back. "Stand back, soldiers! I want this victory all to myself."

I nodded, then proceeded to activate my override app. I connected to Adam first, then Bree. "Get into position." I ordered. They stepped behind me, forming the perfect triangle Douglas had talked about. The moment we linked arms, I could feel the power surging. A blue circle of light appeared at our feet, spinning fast and rising off the ground with every passing second.

Krane merely laughed. "Silly children. You're no match for me."

He threw his arms out, fire balls appearing in his hands. But our power was growing, and it wouldn't stop. I could feel the power draining from us, sharp pains hitting me in the head and chest. Judging by the stifled groans coming from Adam and Bree, I wasn't the only one feeling the effects.

Krane was also trying to build in power, the fires in his hands growing larger and hotter. But it wasn't going to be enough. We couldn't let him beat us. We had too much at risk. If we failed, we failed everyone. Calla, Leo, Mr. Davenport, Tasha, Douglas, Perry, Jaden…everyone we ever cared about. If we failed, we would have failed the world.

The energy was growing, but so was the now constant pain we were in. It was like being struck by lightning, it was that powerful. "The signal transmits…in ten seconds!" I gasped through the pain.

"Our day has come!" Krane cheered, clearly thinking that he had won. But it was too late for him.

"Five seconds!" I groaned. "Four. Three. NOW!"

We released the energy, letting it go as it blasted Krane into the air. The pain disappeared with him, but before any of us could celebrate, a wave of dizziness washed over me and my siblings. Lightheaded, I collapsed, hardly noticing the two  _thuds_  of my brother and sister hitting the ground. It was over…

I opened my eyes lazily as my mind cleared once more and slowly sat up. "It worked." Bree breathed, pushing some hair back from her face as the soldiers around us collapsed. "The Triton App is deactivating."

"Are you guys okay?" I asked, forcing myself to my feet. They nodded silently as Douglas ran over to meet us.

"Yes. You did it!" He cheered.

"Guys, I don't want this to be our final mission." Adam declared. I couldn't help but smile.

"Then it looks like we're a team again." Bree announced. Adam smiled too.

"No, I mean, I want to do one more, but then that's it." He joked. I chuckled, about to comment on one of the moves he did when we were fighting the soldiers, but our victory was short-lived though.

"Guys!" Leo's distressed shout came from the back end of the junkyard. "Get over here, quick!"

We ran towards the sound to see him and Calla kneeling above Mr. Davenport. A very pale, very unresponsive Mr. Davenport.

"I don't think he's breathing." Leo explained quickly. I knelt down, gently pushing Calla away and checked for a pulse. To my relief, I found one. It was weak, but it was still there.

"We have to get him to a hospital." Douglas decided. Calla nodded.

"I already called the ER, but Bree, you're going to have to superspeed him." She instructed. Bree didn't answer, didn't move. She just stared at our father-figure, eyes wide with distress and fear. "Bree!"

She started. "I…S-Sorry, what?"

Calla sighed. "You need to superspeed him to the nearest hospital. Can you do that?" Her voice was gentle enough to coax Bree out of her shock. Bree nodded and knelt down, allowing me to drape Mr. Davenport's arm around her shoulder. They were gone a second later.

"Is he going to be alright?" Adam looked at me hopefully, pleadingly. I had no answer for him.

** Xxx **

Almost 9 hours later, we were still waiting for some information on Mr. Davenport. We'd taken the 4-wheeler to the hospital, Douglas driving, and Tasha and Jaden had both met us there. Bree had run into her boyfriend's arms immediately upon seeing him, tears running down her face. Adam was eerily silent, Leo was pacing the halls, while I just sat in one of the chairs, hardly noticing Calla's arms around me.

Eventually, after getting a full explanation from Calla and Douglas, Tasha had sent us all home with orders to eat something and to get some sleep. None of us could even think of doing either of those things, so we pretty much sat in the lab in silence while Calla, Douglas and Jaden took care of everything, like explaining the situation to the president and dealing with the bionic soldiers. They didn't consult us about anything, but I think that was more because they knew we needed to be alone rather than them trying to ignore us. And I was grateful for it, I really was.

Suddenly, Leo's phone went off. "Mom?" He answered, stepping away from us to take the call. "How's Big D?"

Calla sat down next to me on the coffee table and took my hand silently while Jaden took Bree's seat, pulling her into his lap without a word.

"Poor Donny." Douglas muttered, the first thing he'd said in a while. "This is all my fault. I should have protected him."

"Don't blame yourself, Douglas. Blame Chase." It was Adam's weak attempt at a joke. I sent him a glare.

"It's no one's fault." I told him. He smirked.

"That's what people say when it is their fault." He teased.

"Adam." Calla stopped him with a shake of her head. "It's no one's fault but Krane's. It's as simple as that."

"Hey." Leo drew attention back to him. We all stood up, praying for good news.

"How is he?" Bree asked.

"Not good." Leo admitted. "He's out of surgery, but it's still touch and go."

I sighed. "Then I guess all we can do is wait."


	13. Bionic House Party

** Chase's POV **

It had been just over twelve hours since Mr. Davenport had been admitted to the hospital and we were all hanging around the house for news. Well, most of us were. Adam had left earlier to go pick up some groceries since there was no food left in the house and Tasha was obviously pre-occupied. Bree was taking selfies, I was working on the IPad, and Calla was making some adjustments on one of her older, incomplete projects that she liked to call MISS. She wouldn't tell me what it was, only that it 'might solve our Eddy problem once and for all'. Not entirely sure what she meant, I decided to leave it be.

"Good news guys!" Leo was grinning when he entered the lab. "Mom just called from the hospital to say that Big D was doing much better. He's going to make it!"

We all grinned at the wonderful news. "Awesome." "Great." Bree and I sighed in relief.

"Yep." Leo smiled. "Soon he'll be back here making us all wish he was still unconscious."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Hey, I really miss him." She told him. "Although, it has been nice having the hairspray all to myself."

"Actually, Adam's been using it too." I pointed out. "He's developing new styles for his arm pits."

"Gross." Calla wrinkled her nose in disgust, looking up from her laptop. I shrugged.

"You wouldn't think it, but the ponytails are surprisingly cute." I replied, earning a small laugh from the girl.

"You know," Bree smirked deviously, "we should have traded in Adam for one of Krane's bionic soldiers when we had a chance."

She and Leo laughed at that, but I stopped. Oh, crap! "Oh no. The soldiers!" I muttered. "I was so worried about Mr. Davenport, I completely forgot about them."

"Relax. I'm sure their fine." Calla assured me. Leo nodded.

"Yeah. Now that the Triton App is deactivated, they're just normal teenagers." His eyes popped as he realized what he was saying. "Normal teenagers roaming the streets with deadly bionic abilities. We need to find them."

We nodded and started towards the elevator, only to be stopped by Adam. "Find who?" He asked.

"Krane's soldiers." Bree replied. He nodded.

"I think I can help with that." He offered. Without saying anything else, he led us upstairs. There were at least thirty of Krane's soldiers on the main floor, all chatting and talking with each other. "They're right here!"

Our eyes widened as we stared at the scene, our mouths gaping. "YOU INVITED THIRTY BIONIC SOLDIERS INTO OUR HOME?!" I demanded.

"No, I invited R-10 into our home. The other twenty-nine were hiding in the bushes and followed us home." Adam defended himself. Calla stared at him.

"Why in the name of sanity would you invite her?" She questioned. Adam got a goofy grin on his face.

"She's pretty." He replied, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the girl. Then he backed up to a group of bionic soldiers a started introducing them.

"This is K-15, E-14, C-13, Z-12, E-11, and…" he stopped at a girl with long, soft brown hair and smiled charmingly. "What's your name again?" he asked, a teasing note to his voice. She smiled.

"R-10." She replied before turning to us. "Hello."

Calla stepped back, her hand reaching towards her back pocket, where her plasma gun was. I grabbed her hand with mine, preventing her from starting a fight. Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind us.

"Hey guys." Spinning around, I pushed Calla behind me as I glared daggers at Kieran. He frowned, noticing that I was not the only one glaring at him. "What's wrong?"

"You tried to kill me!" I accused. He looked confused.

"Why would I do that?" He asked. "You're my friend."

"You're not his, nor are you mine." Calla growled. He looked hurt, but she ignored it. "Not only did you steal information from my laptop, but you also used your electro-fork-thingy on him."

"Friends don't electro-fork-thingy friends." I added.

Kieran looked momentarily stunned. "I…I don't remember that. But if I hurt you, Chase, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry I went through your laptop Calla."

"Whoa, dude." Adam stopped him. "Never apologize for hurting Chase."

"Whoa, what do you remember?" Bree asked. Kieran hesitated.

"I remember that everything I ever thought about myself, that I'm human, that I have actual parents, that's all a lie." He murmured and I felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. Only for a moment though. He cleared his throat and continued. "My real name is K-9, these are my brothers and sisters, I'm bionic, and for some reason, I'm the only one here who doesn't think Adam's a genius."

"Well they obviously don't remember what the word 'genius' means." Bree commented. Calla crossed her arms.

"What about R-10? You remembered her before." She pointed out. Kieran, or K-9, nodded.

"Remember that joke you made about me having an evil twin that was trying to take over the world?" He asked jokingly. Calla frowned and nodded.

"Yeah." She said slowly. Kieran nodded.

"We were both created using some of the same genetic material. Most of it is the same, actually. Only a few minor changes to make her a girl." He explained."And since we were created at pretty much the same time, using almost identical genetic make-up…"

"That technically makes you two twins." Calla finished. Kieran nodded. Bree looked at Calla and I.

"They don't remember anything." She whispered. "It's like their bionic blank slates."

"Can we keep them? Most of them are potty-trained, though O-27 is still a work in progress." Adam said hopefully. Calla gave him a look.

"No, you can't keep them!" She exclaimed. Kieran flinched at her words, but watched us quietly.

"Calla's right. Just twenty-four hours ago, they were trying to destroy us." I reminded him.

"And Mr. Davenport would freak out if he came home to thirty bionic soldiers." Bree added.

"Alright." Adam nodded. "L-30, take a hike. Numbers 1 through 29, welcome home."

We all gave him harsh looks. "Forget Big D. It's my mom I'm worried about." Leo snapped. "She's still not sold on you three living here. But you didn't hear that from me."

We rolled our eyes. "Adam." Calla sent him a look and he sighed.

"Fine. I'll get rid of them." He submitted. He looked at Kieran. "Come on dude. I'll help you pack your stuff."

"We don't have any stuff." Kieran replied. Adam gave us a pleading look, then turned back to Kieran.

"Don't worry, I've got you covered."

Before long, Adam was passing out shirts and jackets to the bionic soldiers. My shirts and jackets, to be exact. "I hope you're all a boys small." Adam told the group as they tried on the clothing. Glaring at him, I raced to retrieve my clothing before they left.

** Leo's POV **

"So, the soldiers are gone?" I spoke into my phone as I waited for the lady at the cashier to finish ringing up the things I'd chosen from the hospital gift shop.

" _Yep. Along with about ten of Chase's shirts._ " I heard a light laugh on Calla's end.  _"Boy Wonder's not happy about that."_

I chuckled, taking the flowers and balloon from the cashier with a smile. "No, I didn't think so. Anyway, I've got to go."

" _Alright. Tell Mr. Davenport we all said to get better soon."_  There was a click as Calla hung up and I walked towards Big D's hospital room.

"Leo?!" Mom seemed shocked when I opened the door, but I didn't pay too much attention to that. "What are you doing here?"

I stared at her. "It's time for my 12:30 sponge bath, what do you think I'm doing here?" The smile fell from my face when I caught sight of Big D. He was still unconscious, his skin very pale. There were so many wires and devices hooked up to him. He did not look any better. In fact, he seemed worse, if that was at all possible.

"…What's going on?" I demanded. "You said he was doing better. He doesn't look better."

Mom hesitated before forcing a fake smile onto her face. "Of course he's better." She lied through her teeth. "Look at him! Pale, lifeless, surrounded by technology…that's the man I married."

"Mom." I didn't have to say much more. She sighed, the false smile fading.

"I'm sorry honey. I just didn't want you guys to worry." She apologized. "They're doing everything they can."

Suddenly, Big D's head lifted a bit and he looked at me with glassy eyes. "Hey…" He slurred. I dumped my stuff onto the nearest table and ran over to him.

"Big D!" I exclaimed, glad to see him at least somewhat coherent. However, when I reached his bedside, he reached up and started caressing my face.

"Tasha…you look so beautiful…" He trailed off, still grabbing at my face. "Pretty, pretty, pretty…"

I glanced back at my mom, who shrugged helplessly. "Just go with it honey, he's juiced to the gills."

I nodded, but removed his hand from my face, settling with patting it gently.

** Chase's POV **

An hour after we sent him to ditch the bionic army, Adam returned to the lab, gasping for breath as if he'd just run a marathon.

"Hey." Bree was the first to notice him. "Did you get rid of them?"

"Yeah." Adam nodded. "But those guys are tough to shake. I had to run through the mall, hop a fence, run back through the mall, snag a churro, and go under a bridge. But I think I finally lost-"

About thirty bionic soldiers geo-leaped into the lab at that moment, R-10, Kieran, and a boy called S-3 at the front of the group. "Great! Now I have to do it again." Adam complained, before turning to us. "Can you spot me for their churros?"

"Why do they keep following you?" Bree questioned. I sighed, knowing the answer.

"They're solders." I explained. "They must have a natural tendency to follow their leader, but with Krane gone, they didn't have one until Adam showed up."

Adam, Bree, and Calla turned to look at me, all with different expressions on their faces. A bright grin on Adam's face, a frown on Bree's, and a horrified grimace on Calla's. "What does that mean?" Bree asked.

"They think Adam's their new leader." I stated the terrifying face.

"Great!" Bree exclaimed sarcastically. "Now they're more dangerous than they were under Krane."

I nodded. "Yeah." I agreed just as the alarm for the White House went off. We all looked at each other, wide-eyed. Worst timing ever.

"It's the president." Calla looked at Adam. "Take them upstairs. We'll deal with them later."

Adam nodded and turned to the soldiers. "To the elevator!"

All at once, they all turned around and called out, "To the elevator!"

I looked at my sister. "Do you think you can keep them out of trouble?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I'll try." She ran after Adam and the rest of the soldiers, leaving me and Calla to take the president's call.

"Hello Mr. President." I greeted, answering the video call.

"Chase, we have a problem." He stated.

"Sir, if this is about what Adam did in the Lincoln bedroom…" I began, but stopped when he shook his head.

"No." He assured me. "I sent agents to retrieve Krane's army, and they're gone."

Calla nodded. "Not to worry sir, we know exactly-"

"Mr. President sir," I cut her off before she could finish, "when the agents do find Krane's soldiers, what's going to happen to them?"

I don't know why I even asked that. It wasn't that I actually cared for them. Well, maybe I did, but only because they were exactly like us. Bionic teenagers whose abilities, if used properly, could be used to help people.

"They're bionic criminals." The president replied. "So they'll be separated and placed in high security isolation cells."

"Why?" I demanded. "Krane was controlling them, forcing them to commit those crimes. They didn't have a choice."

"That may be, but they're still bionic." The president replied. "Which makes them dangerous."

"Well, that's what people thought about us." I pointed out.

"But you three have proven yourselves." He argued. "All we've seen from these individuals is evil. Find them."

Calla nodded. "Yes sir." She hung up the phone, then looked at me. "Now what?"

"We can't just hand them over to the government or they're going to lock them up." I told her. She hesitated.

"Is that really that bad of an idea?" She asked softly. I looked at her, stunned, but she continued before I could say anything. "Look, I get that it wasn't their fault, and I get that you want to help them, but they are dangerous."

"So are we, if you think about it." I pointed out. She crossed her arms.

"Okay, so what are we supposed to do? We can't keep them here – A, there's no room, and B, we'd be harbouring fugitives." She reminded me. I looked at her.

"Why don't you want to help them?" I asked, confused. Suddenly, it hit me. "It's not…because of Kieran, is it?"

"He fooled us for so long, how do we know that they're not fooling us now?" She questioned. "I don't trust them."

"You don't trust Kieran." I corrected.

"K-9. He lied about his name too, remember?" She muttered. I sighed.

"This is the right thing to do. You know that, don't you?" I asked.

"Chase…" She began. I cut her off with a shake of my head.

"Hey, I'm not asking you to trust them." I told her. "I'm asking you to trust me. Can you do that for me?"

She looked at me for a long moment before sighing. "I trust you." She told me. She began to head towards the elevator, but stopped at the door. She turned back to me with a half-hearted glared. "But if you get me killed, I'm going to come back and haunt you, mister."

I chuckled, caught up to her, and took her hand. "Deal." I agreed, kissing her lightly on the nose.

** Leo's POV **

I spent a good couple of hours at the hospital, just talking to Big D. I don't know whether it was because I was worried about them, or because I didn't want to deal with the bionic army at home (Calla had texted me again, telling me how Adam was now in charge of the army) or a combination of the two, but I didn't feel like leaving any time soon.

"And then Adam, Bree, and Chase sent Krane flying into the sky." I continued my story. "He looked like a big, bald, evil bird. Oh! And I used my energy transference to finish off S-1!" I looked down at his peaceful face. "I've got to say, I'm sorry you're hurt, but this is the most you've talked without interrupting me."

All of a sudden, Big D started to twitch slightly, the beeping from the machines slowly becoming louder and more insistent. "Mom?" I called uncertainly as Big D's face changed from peaceful to pained. "What's happening?"

She got up from her seat, a concerned look on her face. "I don't know." She was already heading for the door. "Stay with him. I'll get the doctor."

Big D was shaking now, his body twitching uncontrollably. "Somebody help!" I shouted just as he took a gasp of air. The machines suddenly stopped beeping and my heart stopped. "No…no, no, no, NO!" I shouted at the machine, praying for it to start beeping again.

I looked down at Big D, his body still and did the only thing I could think of. I had to do it, no matter what the consequences were. "Okay, that's it. If this doesn't work, I'm really sorry." Using my energy transference, I pulled a good part of my energy from me and pushed it into his chest. The lights in the room flickered, but I didn't care as I watched his back arch involuntarily and his lungs take in a desperate gasp. When I removed my hand, he fell still once more. "Please work." I breathed, black spots swimming around my vision.

"WHOA!" Big D shot straight up, breathing heavy. "I feel great."

"Good." I murmured woozily as I felt my legs begin to buckle. "Because I don't."

I hit the ground hard, much to Big D's confusion. I couldn't really focus on that though, with my mind going all fuzzy all of a sudden. "Leo, don't just lie there, twitching. Give me a hug…" Was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

** Xxx **

"…Leo…LEO!" My eyes snapped open at the sound of my mom's voice. She was standing above me, a concerned look on her face. From my spot on the ground, I could see Big D sitting up in his hospital bed. "Honey, are you alright?"

I nodded, sitting up slowly. My head was still spinning a bit, but not as bad as before. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

She helped me into a chair by Big D's bed. "What happened?"

Knowing that my mom would completely freak out if I told her the truth, my mind raced for a believable lie. "Maybe skipping both breakfast and dinner last night wasn't my best idea?" I offered, hoping she would believe it.

"Leo, I told you guys to have something to eat when you got home." She scolded. I nodded.

"I know, but we were a little too worried to eat. Adam, Bree, and Chase had breakfast though. The only reason I didn't was because I was coming over here." I lied. She sighed.

"This is why you don't skip meals, sweetie." She told me. I nodded, trying my best to look guilty. "Are you okay?" She asked again, just to be sure.

Before I could answer, Big D did. "Better than ever!" He grinned. We both looked at him.

"I was talking to Leo." She told him.

"Oh, well let me know when you get back to me." He replied, still grinning. I glanced up at my mom.

"I'm okay." I assured her. She nodded.

"Alright, but I'm going to grab you something to eat from the cafeteria." She told me before looking at Big D. "Besides, I have to call the donor bank back. I kinda promised them your gallbladder."

"You what?" Big D stared at her.

"Well, they were just so nice on the phone." She said apologetically, leaving with her phone in her hands.

I sighed, rubbing my head a bit. I had a massive headache. Big D didn't seem to notice though. "Look at me!" He was beaming. "You know, I thought I was Daven-done, but then fate stepped in and realized how incredibly valuable I am to the world."

I just stared at him. "Yes. What other logical explanation could there be?"

Big D ignored me, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. "I didn't think it was possible, but I actually feel younger." He started kicking his legs. "Look at these little kickers."

I rolled my eyes and sat down on his bed. "Look, fate didn't save you." I told him. "I did."

He merely laughed. "Leo, I've seen your grades. You're no doctor."

Deciding not to take offense to that, I continued. "I'm serious. I used my energy transference ability to transfer some of my energy into you."

He looked at me as if I was crazy. "You what? Leo, the human body was not meant to be tapped as an energy source!" He scolded.

"Well it's not meant to be bleached, plucked, or tucked either, but that hasn't stopped you." I countered. He gave me a look.

"By giving me energy, you depleted your own. There could be serious side-effects." He actually sounded worried. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't worry; I'm fine." I assured him. He nodded.

"Good. Because you could never make the recovery I just made." He jumped to his feet and began to dance, completely unaware that his hospital gown did not have a back to it. "I feel like a new me!"

"Maybe you should close up a little bit, because I'm seeing too much of the old you." I complained, trying to look anywhere else.

"Sorry." He apologized, quickly covering that horror.

** Chase's POV **

"Chase!" I looked up at the sound of Bree's very angry voice. She stalked towards Calla and I, carrying something pink in her hand. "Have you figured out what to do with the kids yet?"

"So far, all we've come up with is 'turn them over to the government'." Calla replied, frowning at the object in Bree's hand.

"Okay. Well you guys had better figure out something, because they just used my prom dress for target practice!" She held up the still smoking dress. "How did we get into this mess?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Calla asked, gesturing behind us. Looking in that direction, we could see Adam getting fed grapes telekinetically by one of the bionic soldiers.

"Don't look at me, guys. I didn't ask to be king." He smiled, clearly enjoying it.

"Adam, quit messing around." I told him. "We have to find a safe place to hide them all before the president finds out they're here."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. We all turned towards it, but only S-3 actually headed to answer it. "Wait, we don't know who it is." Calla cautioned. He nodded.

"I know. That's why I'm going to open the door." He replied, leaving Calla unable to argue that point. He opened the door to reveal ten people outside. "Hey, it's more of our bionic brothers and sisters!"

We looked at him. "Wait, there's more of you?" Bree questioned. S-3 nodded.

"Tons more. I'll send them all a signal to tell them all to come to our new home."

"No! No signal, no new home!" We objected. S-3 stopped, looking at us. Bree sighed.

"Great. Now there are forty bionic soldiers in our house. What are we going to do?" She demanded, looking at Calla and I.

"There's only one thing we can do." Adam decided.

** Xxx **

"BIONC HOUSE PARTY!" Adam shouted at the top of his lungs, cheers erupting from the bionic soldiers in the house. I glared at them, my fingers in my ears. We needed to get rid of them, and we needed to get rid of them fast.

** Leo's POV **

"Hey Big D." I greeted as my mom and I walked into his hospital room. He was dressed in normal clothes again, the hospital gown folded neatly on the bed.

"Donald, we've got your discharge papers." My mom told him. He smiled.

"Yep, you're free to go." I told him before adding, "And by the way, you are WAY older than you claim to be."

Big D rolled his eyes, but my mom frowned. She reached up and pulled a bit of the hair from my head. "Honey, is that a grey hair?"

"Could be. I thought it was obvious but you too really stress me out." I went to leave, but the second I turned around, I heard two loud gasps. I froze, confused and a little concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Your whole head is turning grey!" I turned to face her, my hand automatically reached for the back of my head.

"Oh no. That must be a side-effect of his energy transference ability!" Big D realized. My mom turned on him, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"His what?" She demanded. He sighed.

"The doctors didn't save me, Leo did." He admitted. She looked at me and I smiled guiltily. "He transferred some of his energy into me. That must have sped up his aging process!"

My mom punched him in the chest. "Donald! How could you let him do that?"

"I was unconscious!" He objected. My mom sighed and looked at me, worry evident in her eyes. "Look, if I could give it back, I would. But it doesn't work that way. He must be aging years by the hour. I have to find a solution to this fast or…"

"Or what?" I demanded when he broke off. He sighed.

"Or Tasha may have found that gallbladder she's been looking for." He told me. I stared at him, starting to freak out a bit.

** Chase's POV **

The party had been going on for four hours now and we still hadn't been able to get them to settle down. Nor had we figured out a place to hide them.

"Is there any way we could reactivate the Triton App?" Bree suggested. "One of them just drank the pool!"

Not only that, but it seemed like we had more than forty soldiers in our house. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw S-3 talking to some of the soldiers.

"Hey, welcome home." He greeted, shaking their hands. "I see you got my signal."

"Hey, S-3." I called. "Could you do me a favour? STOP SENDING SIGNALS!"

"Oh, and while you're at it," Calla walked over, an annoyed look on her face, "keep K-9 away from me. He still hasn't figured out that I want NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM!" She shouted that last bit over her shoulder.

Adam walked over, and looked at S-3. "Hey dude. What's the best way to have fun?"

"Do the opposite of what Calla and Chase say." He replied. Adam smirked a bit.

"I've taught you well, grasshopper." They bowed at each other before going off to enjoy the party a bit more. This included doing the limbo using Kieran's laser-fork-thing, passing food around telekinetically, playing hide-and-seek using their geo-leaping. I just glared at them the entire time.

Suddenly, the door opened and Tasha and Mr. Davenport walked in. "Hey!" Tasha shouted. The music stopped and people stopped cheering, leaving the room eerily quiet.

Adam wasn't bothered by the silence though. "Hey Tasha."

The bionic soldiers followed his example. "Hey Tasha!" They called.

Calla, Bree, and I looked at each other. "Mr. Davenport!" Bree exclaimed, a smile on her face. "You're not dead! Yay."

He stormed over to us. "What is going on? Why is the bionic army that tried to kill us in our house?!"

"We had no choice." Bree defended them. "The government wants to lock them up!"

"So?" Like Calla, Mr. Davenport seemed pleased by the idea.

Before we could answer, there was a loud knocking on the door. "Oh goodie." I said, sarcasm dripping from my tone. "More people!"

Tasha gave me a look, then opened the door. Instead of bionic soldiers though, there was a squad of government agents.

"I'm Agent Reed." The woman at the front introduced herself. "The president sent us to assist in the search for the criminals." She looked around. "But it looks like you've already found them. Good work. We'll take it from here."

"Mr. Davenport, this is not their fault!" Bree pleaded with our father. "They were being controlled by the Triton app."

"Yeah, they're just like us." I agreed, remembering how we had been under the Triton App's control once. We had tried to kill the people we cared about most, yet we'd been forgiven for it. Didn't they deserve a second chance?

"He's right." Adam agreed with me. "We should all be arrested."

Mr. Davenport sighed and turned to Agent Reed. "Is this necessary?" He asked, trying to help. "I mean, what law have they actually broken?"

"Theft of government property, breaking and entering into the White House, and launching a bionic war against humanity." Agent Reed didn't miss a beat, her face clear of any and all emotion.

"Oh yeah." Mr. Davenport nodded to himself. "But that sounds like a slap on the wrist kind of thing to me."

Agent Reed didn't agree. "Cuff them." She ordered. Her agents started towards the soldiers.

"Go!" S-3 shouted and all the bionic soldiers disappeared, geo-leaping away.

"What just happened?" Agent Reed demanded, staring at the spot where the bionic soldiers had just been.

"They geo-leaped away." Mr. Davenport couldn't keep the smile out of his voice. They looked at him for an explanation. "Essentially, they can manipulate their-"

"Short answer." The agent growled.

"Basically, they're gone." Calla supplied. Agent Reed groaned in annoyance.

"Find them!" She ordered, leading her agents out of our house. Suddenly, Leo stumbled in, looking nothing like his self. His usually black hair had gone grey, his face was all wrinkly, and he was wearing glasses and using a cane to walk. We stared at him, confused.

"My knee's acting up." He said before any of us could find the words. "Must be rain. Either that or I'm starting to fall."

On queue, Leo's swayed to one side, Mr. Davenport catching him before he could hit the ground.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"Help me get him down to the lab. I'll explain on the way." Mr. Davenport said as Calla wrapped one of Leo's arms around her shoulder. I took his other side and together we led him down to the lab while Mr. Davenport filled us in on what happened at the hospital.

Calla and I sat Leo down in one of the lab chairs as soon as we got down there and Mr. Davenport rushed to create an antidote. He glanced at my girlfriend. "I want you tracking those bionic soldiers. Now."

"Yes sir." She sat down at her computer, typing quickly as she activated every tracking program she had access to.

Several minutes later, Mr. Davenport finished with the serum. "Serum's ready." He ran over to Leo. "Try this."

Leo took a drink of the serum, and looked at Mr. Davenport. Our father waited a second before speaking. "Do you feel any different?"

"No, but you're the ugliest nurse I've ever seen." Leo replied. Mr. Davenport sighed and looked at Calla.

"Any sign of them?" He demanded. She shook her head.

"I've got nothing. They could be anywhere." She muttered. She looked worriedly at Leo. "Tell me you have more ideas on how to help him."

"None of my anti-aging formulas are working." Mr. Davenport replied, shaking his head. Adam grinned.

"Well obviously. Just look at yourself." He joked just as the presidential alarm went off.

"Mr. President." Mr. Davenport greeted, answering the call. The man on the screen smiled.

"Davenport, it's nice to see you up and around." He said. "Where are those bionic soldiers?"

"I honestly have no idea, sir." Mr. Davenport replied just as they all geo-leaped back into the lab. Worst timing ever. "Way to make me look good, guys!" Mr. Davenport called, knowing that we were busted.

"I'm sending my agents to collect them." The president told him. "You're responsible until they get there."

"Mr. President, these kids are harmless." Mr. Davenport tried to defend them.

"We don't have proof of that." The president argued. Suddenly, there was a thud behind us. We turned around to see Leo lying n the ground, eyes closed.

"Leo!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed. Calla and I knelt down, helping him roll my stepbrother onto his back.

"Big D…" Leo murmured. Mr. Davenport leaned closer to hear him better. "It should have been you."

"What's going on?" Adam demanded, looking down at Leo. Mr. Davenport sighed, a helpless look on his face.

"His time's running out." He murmured. Suddenly, Calla, Mr. Davenport, and I were pushed back by the soldiers. S-3, R-10, Kieran, and three others stepped forward, hands glowing red.

"What are you doing?" Calla demanded. I glared at them, but I couldn't get past them.

"Get away from him!" I shouted protectively. The soldiers ignored us, kneeling down and holding their glowing hands above Leo's chest. I realized with a start that they were using their energy transference ability. They were trying to save him.

"Davenport?" The president called. "What are they doing?"

Mr. Davenport looked up. "They're saving my son's life."

After a few long, long moments, the soldiers stepped back. For a moment, I didn't think it worked. For a moment, I thought Leo was really gone. Then…

"WHOA!" He sat up suddenly, getting to his feet right away. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, relief flooding over me. "I'M ALIVE!"

We all laughed a bit, more relieved than amused. Bree turned to S-3, confused. "Wait, what just happened?"

"We transferred some of the energy from our bodies into his." He explained. Calla frowned.

"But won't that make you all age faster too?" She asked. Kieran shook his head.

"If it was just one of us, yes. But…" He looked at R-10.

"Since we worked together, the affect is minimal." She finished. Adam grinned at the girl.

"That was awesome. It's like you brought him back to life." His face lit up with an idea. "Nobody move! I'm going to go dig up my goldfish!"

He ran off grinning, R-10 laughing a bit at his enthusiasm. Leo looked around at everyone.

"I can't believe you guys saved me. I can never repay you." His voice was full of gratitude. He glanced at Mr. Davenport. "But he can. Pony up Big D."

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes and walked towards the screen where the president was still visible. "Mr. President, I think this is all the proof you need."

The president sighed. "That was admirable." He admitted. "But I can't let these bionic kids roam free. I'm sending a transport to pick them up."

"But sir, they're not-" I tried to object, only for Kieran to cut me off.

"It's okay." He assured me. "You helped us as much as you can. It's time for us to go."

"K-9's right." S-3 agreed. "We won't run this time."

Mr. Davenport sighed. "Alright, why don't you guys go upstairs? I have some things to do down here."

Calla looked at him. "Sir, can't you do something? I mean they've obviously proven that they can be trusted."

Although I was glad to hear that she finally trusted them again, it was too late.

"I'm sorry guys. I really am. Now go." Mr. Davenport replied. We all started to leave, but Mr. Davenport stopped my girlfriend. "Actually, I need your help down here."

I frowned and looked at Calla in confusion, but she just waved me off. "I'll be up later." She assured me. I nodded and led the soldiers upstairs to wait.

** Xxx **

By the time that Adam returned, agents were already handcuffing some of the soldiers. "Guys, look!" He grinned. "I finally found where I put my goldfish."

He held up a glass jar, the bottom half of it full of dirt. "Okay people, do your magic."

"Stop!" "Wait!" Calla and Mr. Davenport burst upstairs, the latter immediately going to Agent Reed. Calla ran over to me, grabbing my hand and flashing a smile at Kieran and S-3.

"What's going on?" I whispered. She shook her head.

"Shh." She shushed me, nodding at Mr. Davenport.

"Nobody's going anywhere." He announced. Tasha looked him.

"Donald, if you try to take on a team of federal agents again, I'm going to put you back in the hospital myself."

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes. "No. I have a solution." He gestured at the soldiers. "These kids have proven that they can save lives and change the world. We already know what Adam, Bree, and Chase can do with their bionics. Just think what a hundred bionic kids can do."

"Don't make me think!" Adam complained. "Just tell me!"

"With proper training and supervision, they could go on multiple missions, save thousands of lives." He looked back at Agent Reed. "And the president is already on board. We just got off the phone with him."

"Hold on." Agent Reed told him. "I didn't get anything about a change in…" her phone let out a sound and she read the message that was on it, "Oh. Okay, you're good."

The few kids that had already been handcuffed were released and the agents left the house. "Mr. Davenport, this all sounds great, but…how are you supposed to train hundreds of bionic kids."

He smirked. "I'm not. We are. Since you're the first of your kind, you'll be their mentors."

We all exchanged excited looks. We were actually going to be teaching them how to save lives? I couldn't think of a better job. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. You'll train them, socialize them and introduce them to the world." Mr. Davenport nodded. "Just like Calla and Leo did with you."

"Only we'll do a good job." Adam added. They both looked at us.

"Excuse me?" Leo questioned. Bree gave her a look.

"Oh, don't look surprised! You guys found us four friends in three years." Bree pointed out. Calla gave her a look.

"You're dating the star quarterback." She pointed out. "How did I do a bad job?"\

"You did great." I assured her, kissing her softly on the cheek. She rolled her eyes, but squeezed my hand a little.

"So where's all this training going to take place?" Tasha asked, clearly not wanting to have a hundred bionic teenagers in her house.

"At the world's first Davenport Bionic Academy!" Mr. Davenport announced.

** Xxx **

That night, while all the bionic soldiers were sleeping on the various couches, chairs and beds in the house, Mr. Davenport showed us (me, my siblings, Calla, S-3, Kieran, and R-10) the designs for the Bionic Academy. Apparently, the entire time that he and Calla were downstairs in the lab, they'd been going over the schematics and designing the perfect space for us. Since the academy wouldn't be done being built for a few days, the former soldiers were staying either here, or at Calla's.

"Behold the world's first ever Bionic Academy!" Mr. Davenport turned on the lab's monitor to reveal what looked like a very, very large metal platform in the middle of the ocean.

"Wow Mr. Davenport. That place looks amazing." R-10 smiled at the sight of it. He nodded.

"Yeah, it's a man-made island." He explained, showing us a few more of the schematics. "Here's the combat training area, and the capsule dormitory, and the Hydroloop."

"What's a Hydroloop?" S-3 asked curiously. I laughed at his joke.

"This guy!" I chuckled. "'What's a Hydroloop?'!"

Calla sighed. "I swear, he really doesn't mean to sound as full of it as he does." She whispered to the former bionic soldier.

"What is a Hydroloop?" Adam asked. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"It's a ultra high-speed transport system. It works like a pneumatic tube to and from the island. You hop in on one side and it spits you out on the mainland in minutes." He explained. "That alone cost me fifty million dollars."

"Cool." S-3 yawned. "Well, I'm getting some sleep. Good night."

Then he, Kieran, and R-10 geo-leaped out of the lab, presumably landing on the main floor. Leo looked at Mr. Davenport.

"You couldn't spend fifty million dollars to make us do that?" He questioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Calla, Leo, Adam, Bree, Chase, and Jaden will return in The Lab Assistant: Welcome to the Bionic Academy


End file.
